The Immaculate Conception

While this is a painting of the Annunciation by Leonardo daVinci the liturgy of the Catholic Church offers us a reading of the account of the visitation of the angel Gabriel to the young virgin Mary. He comes to her with the greeting "HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE." Indeed Mary is full of grace, for the Lord God had preserved her from the stain of Original Sin by the anticipated merits of her divine Son. She, a holy vessel of God, by her great faith, participated with the Divine will and welcomed the Word to be thus incarnated within her womb. Only through this preservation from the sin begun in Adam and Eve could Mary be a worthy dwelling place where the second person of the Trinity can become flesh.
In her humilty then she rightly praises the Father in her Magnificat,
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my saviour, for he has look with favour on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great thing for me, and holy is his name."

Mary most beautiful creature of God, we too are called to receive such faith, we too are called to let Christ reign within us, Pray for us O Mother of God, that we too may leran the Beauty of Holiness!