Teach Us to Number Our Days. Barbara Dee Baumgarten

       Incarnating: Mary, the mother of God

      Mary is the blossom of the shoot from the root of Jesse, the rose whose center is the site where God and humanity meet. A rose with its myriad petals emanating from a hidden center reminds us that all creation is connected to one center. The story of the Fall describes our wandering away from the center and our ensuing loss of life. Mary reverses the “sin of Eve” by calling us back to God.

      A number of flowers represent Mary; the rose, symbol of manifestation and completion, is the Advent flower. Although a traditional title for Mary is Rosa mystica, the “mystical rose,” the principal flower of Mary is the lily, symbolizing her purity and chastity. Legend has it that the lily sprouted from the tears Eve shed when she was evicted from the Garden of Eden. The lily is often shown in a vase, signifying that Mary is the vase, or vessel, of the Incarnation, the Vas spiritualis. When Song of Solomon 2:1 (“I am the rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys”) is attributed to Mary, the song bespeaks devotion to God; God, in turn, bestows upon her the grace to become the mother of God.

      After Gabriel announces to Mary that she is favored by God and is to bear a son, who is Emmanuel (Luke 1:26 f., Matthew 1:18 f), all creation awaits her response—the very Advent of Christ hangs on her willingness to accept the angelic message. All through the ages Mary’s response echoes, “Here am I,” your servant. And this is precisely the response Isaiah asked for from his people! And this is precisely the response God asks for from us daily.