As revealed to some saints, Mary was of a very beautiful appearance. According to Mary of Jesus Agreda:
“The bodily shape of the heavenly Queen was well proportioned and taller than is usual with other maidens of her age; yet extremely elegant and perfect in all its parts. Her face was rather more oblong than round, gracious and beautiful, without leanness or grossness; its complexion clear, yet of a slightly brownish hue; her forehead spacious yet symmetrical; her eyebrows perfectly arched; her eyes large and serious, of incredible and ineffable beauty and dovelike sweetness, dark in color with a mixture tending toward green; her nose straight and well shaped; her mouth small, with red-colored lips, neither too thin nor too thick. All the gifts of nature in Her were so symmetrical and beautiful, that no other human being ever had the like.”
“My Lady is beautiful, beautiful beyond compare; so beautiful that when one has seen her once, one would wish to die so as to see her again; so beautiful that when one has seen her, one can no longer love anything earthly.” Saint Bernadette.
One can imagine the beauty of this most holy Child. For Mary, being destined to be the Mother of God, was to especially chosen. Indeed, if you were able to choose a Queen for a Mother, you would not choose a slave; a Lady, you would not choose a schoolgirl; a gold pound, not a bronze one. For this Immaculate Child was concieved a Saint, born a Saint, died a Saint, and lived a Saint.
Theoligians are of the opinion that Mary, in thefirst moment of her conception, had the perfect use of reason. Hence, she loved God more in that first moment than all the Saint put together.
Now who could imagine the scene of her birth? All the angels assembled, God Almighty is watching. Anne is in bed waiting to deliver. Mary, being a child of Adam(but an exttremely special one at that) had to born like other children of Adam. But that means not that Anne had to feel the pain. For this holy mama delivered this child with absolute joy! No pain, just pure unmixed joy. O! who can imagine the delight of the parents when they beheld this beautiful child? Delight of thy father, delight of thy mother we call this holy infant. What about the angels, the Saints in limbo, especially that Saint Elias the prophet(for Saint Elias(Elijah) is believed to be the first Marian devotee in history, founding the Carmelites on Mount Carmel). For came the cloud which was to bring the rain, Mary the cloud, Jesus the rain. The rain which fertilizes the ground.
But, who can imagine, the Delight of the Almighty when HE beheld this beauty? This beauty, who according to Saint Augustine, so vanquished the Most High! This beauty who, so to say, so enemoured God that she tore Him from His Father’s Bosom and went to dwell in her womb. This Paradise, this new earthly paradise.
Mary grew into a very beautiful child. The delight of her parent’s but especially, God’s.
Now Mary reached three years of age, when she wanted to dedicate her life in the temple. This temple was a sort of convent but only larger. In it was kept the holy of holies, the ark of the covenant. Quite ironic really, as Mary IS the New ark of the covenant, the old one being but a figure of her. Mary offered, not two lambs, nor two turtle doves, but her whole self, without reserve. Mary, at her dedication, wanted to think only of what was pleasing to God. She did everything for Him, for love of Him. Mary even did want visits from her parents, just in case, they would not let her remember God(which, even if it were to happen, were impossible). Mary, unlike some claimants who omit any mention of this, was a mystic. She would have many extraordinary visions. From past events, to future events; from revelations of the Divinity, to infinite knowledge. Mary, being the sinless and most pure girl that she is, did not regard herself worthy of these. In fact, she humble herself more and more, more and more, lower than the dust, so much so that, the depth of her humily cannot be measured.
