Be it done unto me according to Thy Word.
By His divine FIAT in the beginning God created the universe out of nothing; so now by her human FIAT, in entire conformity with God's Will, Mary co-operated in the Creation, which should repair the sin of our first parents and redeem the world. For, at the sound of her voice, the Holy Ghost came upon her, and the Power of the Most High overshadowed her, and the Holy One became her Child. This is the new creation—the Incarnation of God the Son. And the Word was made Flesh and dwelt amongst us.
It has been observed that, as in the Latin version of Mary's act of complete surrender to the Divine Will, which brought God down from Heaven, there are but five words— Fiat mihi secundum Verbum Tuum —so, in the Latin Liturgy, there are but five words at the Consecration of the Body of Christ— Hoc est enim Corpus Meum —most sacred words by which the Lord God, clothed in the Humanity he assumed of Mary, is once more present in our midst. And in truth not only the Mystery of Calvary but also the Mystery of Bethlehem is shown forth in the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, where we commemorate not only the Death (Cf. i Cor. xi. 26) but also the Birth of Mary's Son.
As we draw near to the divine Banquet what better preparation in our hearts than silently to repeat the words of Mary: " Behold the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word."
3. My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
The Venerable Bede having shown how the words of Elizabeth when Mary visited her house were in themselves a manifest proof that she had been wondrously filled with the Holy Ghost, proceeds as follows :
"But if such was the light which shone in the mind of the mother of the Precursor, who can tell, who can conjecture the greatness of the grace which filled the Blessed Mother of God ? Let us listen to her words, if perchance by means of them we may in some slight degree discover what passed within her soul.
"When, then, she heard the answer of Elisabeth, who called her Blessed among women, named her the Mother of her Lord, praised her faith, and showed how she herself and her son had been filled with the Holy Ghost at the voice of her salutation, Mary no longer could keep silence on the gifts which she had received. As beseemed her maiden modesty, she had hitherto kept silence about the celestial oracle, and venerated in her own heart the hidden Mystery of God. She awaited reverently the moment when it should please Him, who is the Dispenser of gifts, to manifest what special gift He had bestowed upon her, what special secret He had revealed to her. But now that she finds that the Holy Spirit has made known to others what graces He had given her, she opens the heavenly treasure which her heart contained.
