Henry Ossawa Tanner, The Annunciation (1898)THE ANNUNCIATION
THE HAIL MARY
THE HAIL MARY
2. Full of Grace.
She was, indeed, overflowing with grace: to other saints, and even to the angels themselves grace was given only in part. But to Mary, grace was given in its fullness and plenitude. In order to understand the words of the Angel it is necessary to know what grace is. Just think for a moment what grace means for the rest of mankind: it is something divine, something of God, something from God. It is a divine entity that is communicated to man in order to raise him to divine life. It confers on him the title of Child of God. It gives him a right to inheritance from the Eternal Father. Since man becomes a child of God he is consequently also heir to Heaven. Now if all that wonder is achieved by grace in other men, if grace sanctifies and divinises them to such an extent, what must grace operate in Mary, since it was given Her in its total and complete fullness? If She possesses all grace, how could grace increase in Her during Her life? This is a mystery. When a glass is full, it can hold no more. But to God, nothing is impossible. God can dilate and increase at any moment the capacity of Her soul, that most precious vase, so that whilst always being full it could at the same time take in an increasing measure of the grace it already contains.
She was, indeed, overflowing with grace: to other saints, and even to the angels themselves grace was given only in part. But to Mary, grace was given in its fullness and plenitude. In order to understand the words of the Angel it is necessary to know what grace is. Just think for a moment what grace means for the rest of mankind: it is something divine, something of God, something from God. It is a divine entity that is communicated to man in order to raise him to divine life. It confers on him the title of Child of God. It gives him a right to inheritance from the Eternal Father. Since man becomes a child of God he is consequently also heir to Heaven. Now if all that wonder is achieved by grace in other men, if grace sanctifies and divinises them to such an extent, what must grace operate in Mary, since it was given Her in its total and complete fullness? If She possesses all grace, how could grace increase in Her during Her life? This is a mystery. When a glass is full, it can hold no more. But to God, nothing is impossible. God can dilate and increase at any moment the capacity of Her soul, that most precious vase, so that whilst always being full it could at the same time take in an increasing measure of the grace it already contains.
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