Luke 1:35
And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.”
Mary is ultimately holy for the same reason that every saint is holy: because the Holy Spirit is upon her. The coming of the Holy Spirit upon Mary in the conception of Jesus was not the first time the Spirit had come upon her. Mary was graced with the help of her Son’s Spirit long before her Son took flesh in her womb. It was He who preserved her from sin from conception onward. But make no mistake: it was His grace that did it, not some goodness of her own that did not owe to the help of God. Mary was readied by grace to be holy. Her holiness made her open to further grace. It is the pattern of the Christian life still. Grace enables us to respond to God and our response to God opens us to more grace. Today, say “Yes” to God and receive more grace!
