The Immaculate Conception: Mary points to the Saviour...

A meditation preached by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft centre, Toronto, in the early morning of December 8, 2020.

In his eternal design for his Son to become man, God also chose Mary as the Mother of the Word Incarnate. This plan had an essential effect both in the manner in which the Word would become flesh—the Word not only became man; he became the descendent of Adam—and on the form of Mary’s motherhood would take.

Her's is a perfect and complete motherhood in all its aspects; in it the person of the Virgin is found to have a total, absolute reference to the Person of the Redeemer and to the Salvation of the world. The early icons of Jesus being held by his mother, in her lap. She is upright. She points to him. He blesses. These icons had a Greek name: Hodigateria. It means she is "showing the way to salvation". She showed us that way by point to her Son, and making him present in her. She is truly co-redemptrix.

The thumbnail is a famous icon of the Hodegateria.

Music; Adrian Burenguer, "Fall". Album Sungularity (2017)