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| (The Annunciation by Arthur Hacker - found here) |
“The first place in which we find Jesus in the Gospels is the womb of Mary—in her ‘innermost parts,’ say Matthew and Luke with energetic realism (
en gastri, en tê koilia, Matt. 1:18; Luke 1:31, 2:21). He is not only the inhabitant of the womb; he is also its ‘fruit’ (Luke 1:42). His body does not come down from heaven; it is fashioned out of his Virgin Mother’s flesh and blood. Indeed, since she is made fruitful by the Holy Spirit, not by male seed (see Matt. 1:20), he is physically more indebted to her than any other child could be to his mother. Moreover, since in the Bible the bodily is the sacrament of the spiritual, Mary’s enfolding of Christ in her womb is preceded by her soul’s assent (Luke 1:38), accompanied by her spirit’s rejoicing (Luke 1:46-55), and followed by her heart’s contemplation (Luke 2:19; 2:51). She gives him his humanity in faith and love.”
~John Saward
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