'It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of God.' If one is to think about falling in to the hands of God, we should readily call to mind the very great Mother of God, the Theotokos. Much more than falling into God's hands form the beginning as the 'wisdom of God,' and the tabernacle where he would place his Only-Begotten, the Theotokos also shares in OUR humanity. Form, in its widest meaning, has as its meaning, that which makes a thing what it is, but how do you name a form which contains the formless ONE of all forms. Truly she us nearest the very 'power and wisdom of God' (1 Cor. 1:24); but the nearness comes from of her role as MOTHER of GOD. Being Mother she is also contains within hereself in a Mysterious way that which she gave birth to, yet He who she gave birth to contained her befroe she gave birth to Him. Just as Jesus could say, 'before Abraham I AM; so Mary could say, 'before I gave birth to Him, HE gave birth to me.' Now this giving birth and you are being given birth is very unique to the Immaculata Conception of Mary. It was into the spotless womb of Mary that Jesus Christ made his entrance into the world. How did Mary experience and understand her experience of the 'Son of God Most High.' What was her infused knowledge of this reality when she said, 'let it be done to me as you say.' Or on hearing the words from the Archangel Gabriel, 'Hail, Full of grace.' Mary''s life was truly sheltered within the 'hands of God.' The late Fr. Faber says in his book Foot of the Cross that the law of the Incarnation was the law of suffering;' that is, that those came to know Christ had to follow the Lord in suffering in the redemption fo the world. Surely Christ came 'to make our joy complete;' on the other hand, there is no following the 'way, the truth, and the life, ' without denying your very self. If we make our home in Mary, thru sincere prayer we will find that her earnest prayer for us reaches to the very core of our being and lead us to the intimate union with the Blessed Trinity within-not without a cost to ouorselves, but despite ourselves and thru grace we will find Christ.

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