What great things?

[Randy_Carson]

Luke 1:49
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.

Mary was approximately 14 years old when the angel appeared to her…what “great things” had God done for this simple Jewish girl at the ripe old age of 14?



We know that Mary was already carrying the Son of God in her womb at the time of her visit to Elizabeth, so that’s one thing.

What else?



Is it possible that Mary was conscious of the fact that she did not have the same attraction to sin that other people had? Or conversely, did she feel a revulsion of sin that she witnessed in others around her?

In other words, was it possible that Mary knew that God had preserved her from sin and that this is one of the “things” to which she refers in Luke 1:49?

 

[CB_Catholic]

Luke 1:49
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.

Mary was approximately 14 years old when the angel appeared to her…what “great things” had God done for this simple Jewish girl at the ripe old age of 14?



We know that Mary was already carrying the Son of God in her womb at the time of her visit to Elizabeth, so that’s one thing.

What else?



Is it possible that Mary was conscious of the fact that she did not have the same attraction to sin that other people had? Or conversely, did she feel a revulsion of sin that she witnessed in others around her?

In other words, was it possible that Mary knew that God had preserved her from sin and that this is one of the “things” to which she refers in Luke 1:49?

If I were Mary, I would think that the very idea of God choosing ME as the one to give birth to the long-awaited Messiah of the Jewish people would prompt that response. And we don’t know exactly what Mary knew, except that the Angel Gabriel told her she was “full of grace”, and Elizabeth said she was blessed among women and the mother of her Lord. Those are pretty “great things”, I would say.

 

[Vince1022]

Mary was approximately 14 years old when the angel appeared to her…what “great things” had God done for this simple Jewish girl at the ripe old age of 14?

1. All the great things God did for the chosen people, as recounted in the Old Testament.
2. Making her the mother of Jesus.

 

[kepha1]

The richness of the Scriptural portrait of Mary is manifested most prominently in the Old Testament prophecies and prefigurings of Mary and the New Testament passages that portray her as the link between the Old and the New Covenants. Mary serves as a link between the two Covenants not just through parallel or prophetic verses but by embodying common themes. She is a bridge between the Old and the New Testaments because Scripture shows her representing both the people of Israel and the Church begun by her Son. The Scriptural images of Mary in the context of both Testaments are astounding in their variety. We see Mary as:

• the New Eve, the Virgin Mother prophesied in the Old Testament
• the embodiment of all the qualities prefigured in the heroines of the Old Testament
• the Queen-Mother of the Davidic Kings
• the people of Israel, the Daughter of Zion
• the Ark of the Covenant: the parallels are too numerous to be ignored
• the Church
• the exalted Mother of Jesus
• the Mother of all the Faithful
• Spouse, Mother and Daughter

​

The mystery of Mary’s role in the Old and the New Covenants is brilliantly underscored by Ignace de la Potterie: “A very important insight of modern exegesis has brought to light that the mystery of Mary forms in some way the synthesis of all the former revelation about the people of God, and of all that God by his salvific action wishes to realize for his people. In Mary are accomplished all the important aspects of the promises of the Old Testament to the Daughter of Zion, and in her real person there is an anticipation which will be realized for the new people of God, the Church. The history of revelation on the subject of the theme of the Woman Zion, realized in the person of Mary, and continued in the Church, constitutes a doctrinal bastion, an unshakable structured ensemble for the comprehension of the history of salvation, from its origin up to its eschatology. A vision of the mystery of Mary, biblically founded, ecclesiologically integrated and structurally developed, gives then a complete image of the concrete realization of the total mystery of the Covenant.”

mariology.com/book-mainmenu-28/7-4-the-biblical-portrait-of-mary

 

[Todd_Easton]

One great thing, the Lord favored (graced) the Virgin Mary prior to the angel Gabriel’s visit, perhaps a reference to the immaculate conception of Mary in her mother’s womb. (Luke 1:28)

A second great thing, the angel Gabriel visited the Virgin Mary; angelic visitations themselves are great things.

A third great thing, the Lord chose the lowly Virgin Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, Jesus Christ (Luke 1:32-33), when he could have chosen a woman who was proud (v. 51), mighty (v. 52), or rich (v. 53).

A fourth great thing, Jesus Christ was miraculously conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit; never before had a virgin conceive in this manner. (Luke 1:35)

A fifth great thing, the Virgin Mary was given secret knowledge by the angel Gabriel of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. (Luke 1:36)

A sixth great thing, the Virgin Mary received Elizebeth’s inspired blessing. (Luke 1:41-45)

Also, the Virgin Mary could be speaking prophetically here in the name of Israel concerning the reign of the Messiah when the Lord will have mercy on and do great things for Israel (Luke 1:54), as if these future accomplishments had already taken place, as prophetic utterances are sometimes expressed in Sacred Scripture.

 

[Randy_Carson]