MARY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Old Testament is full of prophecies, symbols and figures, referring to the Messiah and His Mother. Let us briefly see some of them.
1. Prophecy.
By prophecy we mean the fore-telling of future events which are not known by natural reason. As only God can know the future with certainty, prophecy is a mark of divinity.
a) The first prophecy about Our Lady was made by God Himself in the Garden. A woman will crush thy head [see Genesis 3:15], He tells the infernal serpent.
Plumb the depth of these words. How good is God! He punishes, and at the same time, He forgives. The very instant He sentences us to death, He also promises a Messiah to free us, together with a woman who will crush the devil. How reassuring it is to know that the devil will always be under the feet of Mary! What a sense of security is ours when we learn neither She nor Her children will ever be reached by Satan.
Give thanks to God and your congratulations to man for the triumph and grace She brought. Draw the conclusion that the more closely your soul is linked to Mary, the tighter you will hold the devil under your feet. How enraged he must be to realize that it is a woman and through Her all mankind, that will always crush his head!
b) Let us also consider the prophecy of Isaiah that from the branch of Jesse would blossom a flower on which the Lord would rest.
Elsewhere He announces Her virginity. Behold! a virgin will conceive and bring forth a son who will be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14). Here you have the two crowns of Our Blessed Lady: Her divine maternity and Her virginity.
c) In this manner we could go through many other prophecies, for all the books, especially the Psalms of David and the Canticles of Solomon, contain splendid prophecies about Her. God multiplied these prophecies about Her just as He did with His Son.
[Excerpted from 'Marian Meditations'.]
1. Prophecy.
By prophecy we mean the fore-telling of future events which are not known by natural reason. As only God can know the future with certainty, prophecy is a mark of divinity.
a) The first prophecy about Our Lady was made by God Himself in the Garden. A woman will crush thy head [see Genesis 3:15], He tells the infernal serpent.
Plumb the depth of these words. How good is God! He punishes, and at the same time, He forgives. The very instant He sentences us to death, He also promises a Messiah to free us, together with a woman who will crush the devil. How reassuring it is to know that the devil will always be under the feet of Mary! What a sense of security is ours when we learn neither She nor Her children will ever be reached by Satan.
Give thanks to God and your congratulations to man for the triumph and grace She brought. Draw the conclusion that the more closely your soul is linked to Mary, the tighter you will hold the devil under your feet. How enraged he must be to realize that it is a woman and through Her all mankind, that will always crush his head!
b) Let us also consider the prophecy of Isaiah that from the branch of Jesse would blossom a flower on which the Lord would rest.
Elsewhere He announces Her virginity. Behold! a virgin will conceive and bring forth a son who will be called Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14). Here you have the two crowns of Our Blessed Lady: Her divine maternity and Her virginity.
c) In this manner we could go through many other prophecies, for all the books, especially the Psalms of David and the Canticles of Solomon, contain splendid prophecies about Her. God multiplied these prophecies about Her just as He did with His Son.
[Excerpted from 'Marian Meditations'.]
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