Mary as the Mother of Incarnate Mercy

Through the sin committed in paradise, the first parents lost sanctifying grace and the supernatural gifts. Their fall became the source of profound tragedy for the whole of humanity. Yet God did not abandon man in such a state. Already in paradise He promised to send the Redeemer and foretold the coming of the Woman whose Son would overcome Satan. That woman is Mary. The foundation of God’s works of mercy within the mystery of redemption was the mystery of the incarnation. This event, which constitutes the prelude to human salvation, was conditioned upon Mary’s consent. At the moment of her fiat, the union of the divine and human natures in the one Divine Person of Jesus was accomplished: “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (Jn 1:14). Mary thus became the Mother of Jesus, and therefore the Mother of God – a title that is the source and cause of her greatness and holiness. Consequently, she also became the Mother of Mercy. In order to enable Mary to fulfill this role, God prepared her already through the Immaculate Conception. This privilege was itself a singular manifestation of divine mercy, one never granted to any other creature. Both Fr. Michał Sopoćko and St Faustina Kowalska – guides for this chapter – were deeply conscious of the gravity of the mystery of the Incarnation. They were also profoundly familiar with the veneration of the image of Our Lady of the Gate of Dawn (Ostrobramska) – the Mother of Mercy. Devotion to the Mother of Mercy ultimately leads to devotion to the Father of mercies.