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Mary In Salvation History
“What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, para 487)
So let us start our understanding of Mary with the Incarnation. This was promised by God:
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen 3:15)
In Luke 1:26-38 we read of the most important encounters in the history of the world when the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary:
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Lk 1:31).
This son was God’s Son:
“God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal 4:4).
This son was the Word made flesh:
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14)
God’s plan for our salvation was no accident but prepared from the beginning. His choice of Mary was planned from the beginning.
In God’s plan of salvation he picked out certain people to have a special role. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and others. God chose them, though they had to freely accept their role, and God gave them special graces to fulfil that role. Mary is another such person and we know she was given great grace. The angel Gabriel addressed her as “full of grace”. Yet Mary was given an even greater role that the others, the unique role of bearing the Son of God in her womb.
She was chosen by the Father to bear His only begotten Son. In that exalted role, Mary is the first person in all history to receive and accept Christ as her Saviour. You and I are called to enthrone the Lord in our hearts and lives, to follow her example in doing so. Early in Christian history she is called "the first of the redeemed".
For an understanding of the importance of Mary and the honour given to her we need to start with Luke’s gospel. In the first chapter the angel Gabriel appears to both Zechariah and Mary.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. (Lk 1:11-12)
And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. (Lk 1:28-29)
Note that Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, but Mary was troubled by what the angel said. So what the angel said is very important. He addressed Mary as “full of grace” and said “the Lord is with you”. I’ll leave “full of grace” until later and examine “the Lord is with you”
What would this have meant to a 1st Century Jew? To which others did God, or an angel of God, say God would be with them?
God to Jacob when he made him the covenant leader “Behold I am with you and will keep you wherever you go” (Gen 28:15)
God to Moses at the burning bush when he called him to lead Israel from slavery “But I will be with you” (Ex 3:12)
God to Joshua before he led them into battle to take the promised land “as I was with Moses so I will be with you” (Josh 1:5)
Angel to Gideon when he called him to defend Israel against a foreign invasion “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valour” (Jud 6:12)
God to David (via Nathan) when he made him head of an everlasting kingdom “I have been with you wherever you went” (2 Sam 7:9)
God the Jeremiah when he called him to be a prophet “I am with you to deliver you, says the Lord” (Jer 1:8)
Mary is being told she is there among the great leaders of Israel, people whom God called to have an important mission in the salvation of Israel. Mary is being called to stand with the great leaders of Israel who had many trials and had to make many sacrifices. No wonder Mary was “greatly troubled” and “pondered what sort of greeting this might be”.
Then in Lk 1:30 Gabriel says “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God”. The “Do not be afraid” is reassuring her that God would be with her to help and protect her. But what does the “you have found favour” with God signify? Again let’s look at some others in Israel’s history who found favour with God. It brings to mind others who were specifically chosen by God for an important role or office.
Noah, who was chosen to renew the human race after the flood. “But Noah found favour in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen 6:8)
Abraham, who was the start the covenant people found favour with God “My Lord, if I have found favour in your sight…..So they said, “Do as you have said.” (Gen 18:3-5)
Moses also found favour with God when he acted as mediator of the covenant people at Sinai –see Ex 33:12-17.
Mary was specially chosen to have a particular and unique mission in salvation, and with people like Noah, Abraham, and Moses to be the instruments of a new beginning for humanity. She was more important than Abraham or Moses or David because she was to bring the Saviour of the whole world into the world. She is unique.
