What makes Mary the direct opposite of Satan? Not only for accepting the grace that Satan refused, but also for accepting the perfect forgiveness given to her soul when it was created.
She accepted the purity of her Immaculate Conception, not only as a free gift, but as a gift of mercy and a grace of forgiveness—for in all justice she could have been included in the degeneration of the sons and daughters of Adam.
Although she was not touched by sin, she was forgiven to a higher degree than any other, for when she was exempted from the corruption of the human race, she was the object of a thoughtful forgiveness, not only without any right on her part, but against natural law, which would have included her.
Adapted from an article by Canon Daniel-Joseph Lallement (1892-1977)
Professor of Metaphysics at the Catholic Institute of Paris