Ave Maria Meditations
That which is truly great grows unnoticed, and silence at the right moment is more fruitful than the constant activity that only too easily degenerates into spiritual idleness. The mystery of the Annunciation to Mary is not only a mystery of silence; it is also, and even more, a mystery of grace.
We must ask ourselves: what is the real reason why Christ decided to be born of a virgin? Salvation comes not from human beings and their own powers but solely from God and His gracious action… The salvation of the world is exclusively God’s doing and therefore occurs in the midst of human weakness and powerlessness. From the viewpoint of the Bible the virgin birth is in the last analysis a sign that what occurs is a pure act of grace on God’s part…
God wishes Mary to become His temple, a living temple, and not merely by physical occupation of her body. But it only becomes possible for God truly to dwell in her because she opens herself to Him inwardly; because she develops her inner being to become entirely compatible with him.
+ Pope Benedict XVI
