Christian Art | Annunciation | The Virgin Mary | Saint Archangel Gabriel
Office Of Readings | Week 20, Tuesday, Ordinary Time | A Reading From The Homilies Of St Bernard Of Clairvaux On The Glories Of The Virgin Mother | She Was Prepared By The Most High And Prefigured By The Patriarchs
‘She was prepared by the Most High and prefigured by the patriarchs.’
Saint Bernard begins with the claim that ‘there was only one mode of birth that was worthy of God, and that was to be born of a virgin’. With this statement he places the Incarnation within a framework of fittingness (convenientia), a theological mode of reasoning that asks what befits the majesty and holiness of God. The divine birth, he argues, required a vessel untouched by stain, a mother who would embody in her body and soul the purity and humility of the Son whom she would bear.
Virginity and the Purity of the Incarnation
Bernard sees Mary’s virginity not simply as a biological fact but as a theological necessity. The flesh of Christ is taken from her flesh, and so the integrity of her body symbolises the integrity of the new creation that Christ inaugurates. Here Bernard stands within a long tradition: Saint Ambrose had earlier taught that Mary’s virginity manifests the uniqueness of Christ’s birth, and Saint Augustine had spoken of her as the model of consecrated virginity within the Church. Bernard adds a particular emphasis on divine choice and preparation, stressing that God fashioned Mary’s virginity not by chance but by deliberate providence.
Humility as the Ground of Grace
Alongside virginity, Bernard elevates humility as the essential virtue of Mary. He asks: how could the angel have called her ‘full of grace’ unless grace itself had adorned her with all that was required? Mary’s humility makes her receptive, for pride would have resisted the Word’s descent. This connects with Bernard’s broader spiritual teaching, where humility is the soil in which all virtues grow and the path by which the soul returns to God. In Mary, humility is not only a personal quality but the condition that allows the Incarnation to take place.
Prefiguration by Patriarchs and Prophets
Bernard then situates Mary within salvation history. She is not a sudden figure appearing without context, but one prefigured and foreshadowed by patriarchs and prophets. Eve is implicitly recalled: the first virgin whose disobedience brought death, now answered by the Virgin whose obedience brings life. The patriarchs, especially Abraham and Jacob, anticipate her as the ones through whom God’s covenantal promises are carried forward, pointing to the one in whom the promise finds fulfilment. The prophets, such as Isaiah with his oracle of the virgin conceiving (Is 7:14), prepare for her by foretelling the birth of the Messiah. In this sense, Bernard sees Mary as woven into the very fabric of biblical history, her election preordained from the beginning.
Chosen from Eternity
Bernard insists that Mary was ‘not someone just now found by chance, but chosen from the beginning of time’. Here we glimpse medieval debates about Mary’s holiness. Bernard does not articulate the later dogma of the Immaculate Conception, but he expresses a profound sense of Mary’s predestination: that God had foreseen and prepared her as the Mother of the Word. This aligns with the broader theological theme of divine providence, where God’s plan encompasses history in its entirety, and within that plan Mary holds a singular place.
Mary’s Beauty and the Desire of the King
The homily closes with the image of Mary adorned in virtues, radiant in both body and soul, drawing the attention of heaven’s citizens and even of the King himself. This imagery reflects medieval language of beauty as a manifestation of holiness. Mary’s beauty is not external ornament but the splendour of virtue, the radiance of a life wholly conformed to God. The King’s desire, in this sense, is the divine will that longs to dwell with humanity and finds its dwelling in her.
A Reading From The Homilies Of St Bernard Of Clairvaux On The Glories Of The Virgin Mother | She Was Prepared By The Most High And Prefigured By The Patriarchs
There was only one mode of birth that was worthy of God, and that was to be born of a Virgin. Equally, who could come from a Virgin birth except God himself? The maker of mankind, if he was to be made man and destined to be born of man, would have to choose, to create a mother whom he knew to be worthy of him, who he knew would be pleasing to him.
It was his will that she should be a virgin, so that he could proceed from an unstained body, stainless, to purify mankind of its stains.
It was his will that she should be meek and humble of heart, since he was to become the outstanding example of these virtues, so necessary for the health of humanity. He granted childbirth to her, having first inspired her vow of virginity and filled her with the virtue of humility.
To put it another way, how could the Angel have addressed her as full of grace if any, even a little, of these virtues had been present in her already and not given to her by grace? It was given to her to be made holy. She, who was to conceive and give birth to the Holy of holies, was made holy in body by the gift of virginity and holy in mind by the gift of humility.
Adorned with the jewels of such virtues and radiant in both mind and body, the royal Virgin’s beauty draws the attention of the citizens of heaven itself, and its King is filled with desire for her and sends his messenger to her from on high.
The Angel was sent to the Virgin, it says. A virgin in body and a virgin in mind, a virgin by her own choice, a virgin, as the Apostle describes her, holy in mind and body. Not someone just now found by chance, but chosen from the beginning of time, foreseen and prepared by the Most High, waited upon by the angels, prefigured by the patriarchs, preached by the prophets.
Christian Prayer With Jesus Christ
O God Most High,
you prepared the Virgin Mary from all eternity
to be the dwelling place of your Son,
and adorned her with the gifts of humility and purity.
Grant that we, like her, may be made ready
to receive your Word in faith,
to bear him in our lives with obedience,
and to show forth his light in the world.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Glossary of Christian Terms
Virgin Birth (Parthenogenesis): The belief that Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary by the Holy Spirit without a human father (cf. Lk 1:34–35).
Virginity: In Christian theology, the state of bodily and spiritual integrity symbolising total dedication to God. For Mary, this is both a physical fact and a sign of her consecration.
Humility: The virtue of recognising one’s dependence on God; for Bernard, the essential ground in which grace dwells and the reason Mary was prepared to receive the Word.
Full of grace: The angel Gabriel’s greeting to Mary (Lk 1:28). In Bernard’s interpretation, this means Mary was adorned wholly by God’s gift, not by her own prior merit.
Holy of holies: A biblical expression (cf. Ex 26:33–34) originally referring to the innermost sanctuary of the Temple. Here it describes Christ himself, who is conceived in Mary’s womb.
Prefigured: A theological term meaning ‘foreshadowed.’ Old Testament figures and events are understood to anticipate their fulfilment in Christ and, by extension, in Mary.
Patriarchs: The fathers of Israel—especially Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—whose lives and promises pointed towards the fulfilment of God’s plan.
Prophets: Old Testament messengers of God, who proclaimed his word and, in Christian interpretation, foretold the coming of Christ and his Mother.
Predestination: The belief that God, in his eternal wisdom, foresees and ordains the role of each person in salvation history. Bernard applies this to Mary, chosen before time to be Christ’s Mother.
In the Bible, a miracle is an event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore attributed to a divine agency. Miracles are often seen as a sign of the intervention of God in the affairs of human beings. In the Old Testament, the most famous miracles are the Ten Plagues of Egypt, in which God punished the Pharaoh for refusing to release the Israelites from slavery, and the parting of the Red Sea, in which God allowed the Israelites to escape from the pursuing Egyptians by opening a path through the sea. In the New Testament, the miracles of Jesus are a central part of his ministry and are seen as evidence of his divinity. These include healings, such as the restoration of sight to the blind and the raising of the dead, and acts of nature, such as turning water into wine and walking on water. Is There A Theological Significance To Jesus’ Miracles? In the Christian tradition, the miracles performed by Jesus are seen as a manifestation of his divinity and as proof of his authority to teach and heal. Many of these miracles are described in the Gospels of the New Testament, which are the primary source of information about the life and teachings of Jesus. The purpose of the miracles, according to the Gospels, was to demonstrate Jesus’ power over natural forces and to show that he had the authority to forgive sins and offer salvation to those who believed in him. Why Did Jesus Ask To Keep His Miracles Secret? ‘Tell No One Of This.’ In the Gospels, there are a few instances where Jesus tells people not to tell others about what he has done for them. For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after Jesus healed a man who was possessed by demons, he told the man, ‘See that you tell no one anything, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a proof to them’ (Matthew 8:4). In this case, it seems that Jesus was concerned that the man’s testimony might not be believed or might be misunderstood, and so he asked him to keep the experience to himself for the time being. It is difficult to say for sure why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle without knowing the specific context in which the request was made. However, some possible reasons that come to mind include: To avoid drawing unnecessary attention to himself. In the Gospels, Jesus often tries to avoid drawing too much attention to himself, especially from the authorities who are hostile to him. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding unwanted attention and allowing Jesus to continue his ministry without interference. To allow the person who was healed to experience the transformation for themselves. In some cases, the person who was healed might have been skeptical or unsure of what had happened to them. Asking them to keep quiet about the miracle might have given them time to reflect on the experience and come to their own understanding of it without being influenced by others. To test the person’s faith. In some cases, Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle as a test of their faith. If they were truly grateful for what Jesus had done for them, they would be willing to follow his instructions and trust that he had a good reason for asking them to keep quiet. These are just a few possible reasons why Jesus might have asked someone to keep quiet about a miracle. It is important to remember that the Gospels are ancient texts and that we must be careful not to impose our own interpretations on them without considering the historical and cultural context in which they were written. To avoid creating conflict or division. In the Gospels, Jesus often encounters people who are skeptical or hostile to his teachings, and he sometimes tries to avoid confrontations with them. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might be one way of avoiding a confrontation or a heated debate that could disrupt his ministry. To avoid being misunderstood or misrepresented. In some cases, the person who was healed might not have understood the full significance of what Jesus had done for them, and they might have tried to explain it in a way that distorted or misrepresented the truth. Asking them to keep quiet might have given Jesus time to explain things to them more fully and help them to understand the true meaning of the miracle. To avoid becoming a spectacle. In the Gospels, there are many instances where people are amazed by the miracles that Jesus performs, and they often try to make him into a kind of celebrity or showman. Asking someone to keep quiet about a miracle might have been one way of avoiding this kind of attention and keeping the focus on the message that Jesus was trying to convey. What Is The Significance Of Miracle Of The Wedding At Cana? In the Christian tradition, the wedding at Cana is significant because it is the first of the miracles performed by Jesus that is recorded in the Gospels of the New Testament. This event is described in the Gospel of John, where it is said that Jesus, along with his mother Mary and his disciples, attended a wedding in the town of Cana. At the wedding, the host ran out of wine, and Mary asked Jesus to help. In response, Jesus turned water into wine, which is seen as a miraculous act that demonstrated his power and authority. In the Gospel of John, after Mary asks Jesus to help with the wine at the wedding in Cana, he replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). This statement is often seen as indicating that Jesus was aware […]
The psalm opens with an exuberant summons: ‘O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.’ This lively call to worship sets the tone for a collective celebration, a harmonious expression of gratitude and joy directed towards God. The reference to the ‘rock of our salvation’ reminds of God’s steadfastness and reliability, a foundation on which believers can confidently stand [ … ]
Hagar’s encounter with the angel of the LORD illustrates how God intervenes in the lives of the oppressed and the outcasts. In her moment of desperation, God reached out to her personally, comforting her and providing guidance for her path. Hagar’s response was profound; she acknowledged that God sees her and cares for her well-being. Despite the hardships she faced, Hagar found reassurance in the divine presence, recognizing that God’s plan was at work even in her struggles [ … ]
