"Blessed are You Among Women"

The following excerpts are taken from the eighth sermon on the Hail Mary by St. Lawrence of Brindisi and St. Lawrence's reflections on the meaning of Mary's special blessedness. He indicates generally how in Scripture the benediction is an acknowledgement of the favor which one had found with God. He points out in particular how possession of a good husband and a good son were regarded for a woman as a great divine blessing. He notes further how the greatest blessing of all is fear of the Lord. From these three perspectives, he shows again that Mary is blessed beyond all creatures.

Beyond the Patriarchs, beyond the Prophets, and beyond the heroines of the Old Testament, Mary's blessing is special. This St. Lawrence shows by examining examples of benediction from Sacred Scripture:

Sacred Scripture often designates the benefits of divine gifts through a benediction upon the recipients. This is the benediction of the Lord by which he is said to have blessed Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and his own people. Thus we read that the Lord blessed the home of Laban because of Jacob, the home of the Egyptian prince because of Joseph, and the home of Obededom because of the ark of the Lord. That is to say, the Lord heaped benefits upon them and made them very rich. In this same sense Jacob called the blessing which he sent to his brother Esau a gift of honor and good will. Abigail also, offering gifts to David, asked to receive his blessing. Naaman the Syrian, after being miraculously cleansed from leprosy at the waters of the Jordan, begged Elisha in supplication to take a blessing from him, i.e., to take some gift in return for the cleansing. If therefore Divine Scripture signifies gifts and benefits with words of blessing, then blessed is he who is touched by the benefits. Thus Melchisedech said to Abraham: "Blessed be Abram by God Most High, maker of heaven and earth" (Gn. 14, 19), because only by a gift of God had Abraham conquered and overcome four kings in one battle. What, then, is the import of the words, "Blessed are you among women," if not that Mary is blessed over all women who ever were or will be, blessed and enriched by divine gifts? We read about many women increased and augmented by divine gifts: Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Mariam, the sister of Moses, Debora, the prophetess, Hanna, the mother of Samuel, queen Esther, Judith and others. But you, Scripture says, are blessed among women.

If measured by the nature of her spouse and the nature of her son, Mary is most truly blessed beyond all of God's creatures, human and angelic alike. Thus St. Lawrence compares Mary to some of the noteworthy wives and mothers of the Old Testament

God makes a special gift to women when he gives them good husbands and good sons ... Such a husband God gave to Eve, such a one to Sara, such to Rebecca, to Leah, to Rachel, to Hanna, whose husband said: "Why do you weep? And why do you not eat? And why is your heart sad? Am I not more to you than ten sons?" (1 Sam 1, 8). Even though she received a good husband from God, nevertheless she considered life bitter because of her barrenness which at the time was a disgrace for women. A barren woman was thought to be cursed by God. Therefore she begged God with many tears and petitions for her son Samuel. When she received her son, having been given so great a blessing, she gave thanks to God for his largess with a great fervor of spirit, and inspired by the Holy Spirit she sang divine praises. In the same way Eve, struggling for her first son, gave thanks to God saying: "I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord" (Gn 4, 1). So also Leah and Rachel, when they received their only sons, they praised God and gave thanks most devotedly saying that sons were great gifts from God.

Therefore who does not see how it is truly said of Mary in a singular and unique way that she is blessed among women? Who was her spouse and husband? Not a man, not an angel. "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Lk 1, 37). Her husband is God, the most excellent, greatest and most high "King of kings and Lord of lords" (1 Tim. 6, 15). Who was the son of Mary? To what kind of son did she give birth? "He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end" (Lk. 1, 32-35). "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called 'Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace'" (Is. 9, 6-8). She had the only begotten son, the son of God, the King of heaven, the Prince of angels, the Lord of all the creatures of the world, the Creator of all things contained in the courses of heaven, the sole Savior, a son equal to God: "in (whom) the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Col 2,9); "in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (ibid. 2, 3). Therefore, truly blessed is she among women, blessed beyond all women, beyond all men, beyond all angels, beyond all creatures in the world!

St. Lawrence also finds a source of great blessing in Mary's own virtuous life, a life epitomized by the virtue of the fear of the Lord:

We read of many women in Sacred Scripture who are very highly commended: Sara, Rebecca, Rachel, and Esther for great beauty; Mariam, the sister of Moses, Debora, and Anna, the mother of Samuel, because of a prophetic spirit; the woman Tekoa and the other woman from the city of Abel (cf. 2 Sam 20) for their outstanding wisdom; Ruth the Moabitess for her courage and virtue; and Abigail because of her prudence ... Beyond all these, however, is the Virgin Mother of God praised on account of her divine and superhuman virtues, one could even say, her superangelic holiness. "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised" (Prov. 31, 30). Thus did the evangelist Luke praise Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel. Thus did Christ praise the Canaanite woman: "O woman, great is your faith!" (Mt. 15, 28). Thus he praises Mary because she "has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her" (Lk 10, 42). Moreover, because she had done a good work for him, pouring out precious ointment, he praised her for her authentic and perfect penitence. "A woman who fears the Lord is to be praised," i.e., she is worthy of praise. This is true and firm praise, a true crown of gold. The angel praised Mary, not for vain reasons, but because she was full of grace, because she was pleasing and dear to God. Isaiah praised her, but because she was a perpetual virgin. Jeremiah praised her, but because of the amazing freshness and sanctity of her life, a life never before seen on the earth. Elizabeth praised her, but because she trusted in God.

The consequence of all this is that Mary is blessed, i.e. praiseworthy beyond all measure, save for the praise owed to God himself, and this, for St. Lawrence, is a fundamental part of the meaning of the angel's salutation:

Oh, the benediction! Blessed are you among women. Who can grasp, brothers, the greatness of this divine benediction? I for one think that if it were weighed in balance with all of heaven, with every benediction of the elect of God, with all the blessings of the holy angels, this benediction would be more weighty than all the sands of the sea. All of those blessings are for servants, for ministers, but this blessing is for a Spouse and for a Mother. This blessing is a luminary among the stars, indeed, this one is the light of the sun, for she is "a woman clothed with the sun."

Dr. Joseph Almeida is Professor of Classics at the Franciscan University of Steubenville. The above article is the fifth in a series on the sermons of St. Lawrence of Brindisi on the Angelic Salutation. The series first appeared in the publication, Catholics United for the Faith.