Mary first conceived Jesus in faith and then in the flesh, when she said ‘yes’ to the message God gave her through the angel. What does this mean? It means that God did not want to become a man by bypassing our freedom; he wanted to pass through Mary’s free assent, through her ‘yes.’ He asked her, ‘Are you prepared to do this?’ And she replied: ‘Yes.’
But what took place most singularly in the Virgin Mary also takes place within us, spiritually, when we receive the Word of God with a good and sincere heart and put it into practice. It is as if God takes flesh within us; he comes to dwell in us, for he dwells in all who love him and keep his word. It is not easy to understand this, but really, it is easy to feel it in our heart.
--Pope Francis, October 12, 2013
Image source: Fra Angelico, Annunciation of Cortona (1433-34),
https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit/pope-francis-on-marys-yes
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