The mystery deepens when we consider her position in the divine order. The mark of God is impressed upon her with a precision second only to the Word made flesh.

She may be called, in a mystical sense, the “Second-born” in the eternal thought of the Father—not by equality with the Son, but by singular participation in His redemptive plan.

From eternity, God delighted in her as the pure creature chosen to bear the Uncreated Word.

And within time, the Son who formed her in grace also received from her His humanity. Thus, the Child teaches His Mother in hidden mystery, while she receives from Him, even in silence, the fullness of divine wisdom.