Happy feast day!
On this incredible day, by the consent of a young Nazarene girl, God began to reconcile the world to Himself. It is the beginning of the end for death and suffering. So much could be said for the cosmic implications of Mary’s simple, “yes,” but let’s turn to the great hearts and minds of the saints!
“From the moment of her fiat Mary began to carry all of us in her womb.”– St. Anselm of Canterbury
“The Father bending down to this beautiful creature, who was so unaware of her own beauty, willed that she be the Mother, in time, of Him, Whose Father He is, in eternity. Then the Spirit of love, Who presides over all of God’s works, came upon her; the Virgin said her fiat: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word’ and the greatest of mysteries, was accomplished!” – St. Elizabeth of the Trinity
“Following her example of obedience to God, we can learn to serve delicately without being slavish. In Mary we don’t find the slightest trace of the attitude of the foolish virgins, who obey, but thoughtlessly. Our Lady listens attentively to what God wants, ponders what she doesn’t fully understand and asks about what she doesn’t know. Then she gives herself completely to doing God’s will: ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word.'” – St. Josemaria Escrivá
“It is the account of the Annunciation that suggests this truth when it tells that only after the ‘fiat’ of Mary, who consented to be the Mother of the Messiah, did ‘the angel depart from her.’ The angel had completed his mission: he could bring to God humanity’s ‘yes,’ spoken by Mary of Nazareth.” – Pope St. John Paul II
“Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore. She ruled our Ruler; she carried Him in whom we are; she gave milk to our Bread.” – St. Augustine
“The Virgin did not merely pronounce her fiat; in every moment she fulfilled that firm and irrevocable decision. So should we.” – St. Josemaria Escrivá
“If Christ is the day that never fades, Mary is its dawn, shining with beauty. Chosen in advance to be the Mother of the incarnate Word, Mary is at the same time the first-fruits of his redeeming action.” – Pope St. John Paul II
“The Blessed Virgin knew all these things. For she said to the angel, on the day of the Annunciation, ‘How will this be, since I know not a man?’ Knowing things is not evil. All that God has made is very good and very noble. Marriage is a beautiful state for those whom God has called to it; it is sin which distorts and soils it.” – St. Therese of Lisieux
“Jesus honored her before all ages, and will honor her [Mary] for all ages. No one comes to Him, nor even near Him, no one is saved or sanctified, if he too will not honor her. This is the lot of Angels and of men.” – St. Maximilian Kolbe
“If you were an artist, would you allow someone to prepare your canvas with daubs? Then why should God be expected to act differently when He prepares to unite to Himself a human nature like ours, in all things, save sin? But having lifted up one woman by preserving her from sin, and then having her freely ratify that gift at the Annunciation, God gave hope to our disturbed, neurotic, gauche, and weak humanity.” – Ven. Fulton Sheen