I have a question.If God said " I will put enmity between you and the Woman" and therefore is eternally saying it in the present tense because there is no past or future to the thought of God, then, do you agree that God is always putting enmity between the devil and Mary, (without violating Her freewill) ? If God is always putting this enmity between Her and the devil, (without violating Her freewill) how could she ever sin by commission or ommission and therefore is she not always growing in grace? If God is not always putting enmity between the devil and Mary, as a special gift, blessing, then when did He stop doing it? Mary and Jesus are the only ones that Scripture says have this enmity with the devil. What else could it be but being sinless because “He was like us in all things ,except sin” ? Do you agree that St. Jerome would have known that Mary was this woman who God put enmity with the devil and therefore was full of Grace because she never failed to grow in grace as that would have ment she had listened to the devil and the enmity between Her and the devil would have been gone?
Also, the translation “Hail, most highly favoured” is also a title given by God to Mary. The Angel Gabriel did not use Mary’s name. Rather, God revealed a Title that is always true because God is eternally giving it. Mary was then and always is “most blessed”, or most highly favoured and therefore is being compared to all others in eternity, including those in Heaven, who are holy, therefore She must have been Holy then.
