There was to be only one woman in the course of eternity destined to give God a human nature. Did He send the angel Gabriel to a run-of-the-mill girl? No. Since Mary was so young, what on earth could she have accomplished as a teenager to be addressed as “full of grace” or “highly favored” by the Angel Gabriel? No one else in scripture was so addressed - especially not by the angel Gabriel, who stands in God’s presence. Since nothing is written about Mary prior to the annunciation other than Isaiah 7:14, we firmly believe that she was “highly favored” by God, Who preserved her from sin. Consider the contrast from scripture:
Psalm 30:7 (of King David) O LORD, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm;
Luke 1:28
The angel went to her (Mary) and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 1:43 (Elizabeth) But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
King David, and Elizabeth, by their own reckoning, were “favored”. Only Mary was “highly favored”, spoken by the Angel of the Lord, not by her own reckoning. Yet, we absolutely believe that Mary was created, 100% human, just as you or I - only that God, her Savior, preserved her from sin because of the absolutely unique role He had for her.
Her messenger and God’s mission came directly from the Throne of the Most High. He alone gave her a personal mission, one requiring her to honor Him and in turn be honored, (Luke 1:48) to give human nature to God at the risk of her own flesh. Can you see the parallel with Christ Himself here? Both Adam and Eve were conceived without sin, and both were created to be the major part of God’s plan, the only part of creation which could return the Father’s love. It is consistent that God would act in the same way (preserving Mary from sin to bear Christ’s sinless nature) as He introduced His plan of man’s redemption.
Veneration of Mary often appears as worship to unbelievers, or those who do not practice as Catholics do. Catholic practice can be difficult to understand, as God Himself is difficult to understand. Our practices came from Him, and bear His same mysterious ways.
Now, know that I was Catholic for almost two decades before the Lord revealed the truth about Mary to me. Such is God. He sends His Spirit where He wills, and when He wills. The fact that I am here, defending church teaching on Mary, is a miracle in itself.
I would rather explain to the Lord why I venerated His chosen, than why I denigrated her memory, especially since her veneration is in Luke 1:48.
