Purity in the life of Virgin St. Mary: Our Lady the Mother of God; the Model of
Purity

It is without question, that the Holy Virgin Mary is renowned for her life of purity, and for this reason she was given the title Theotokos; the Mother of God. For she gave birth to the Pure one who knew no sin.  As a normal human, St. Mary submitted her free will to that of God's.  Through submission a
harmonious disposition was obtained.  She was given the title of "pure" Virgin.  Pure meant that she loved good works, did not want to be seen by men,
only by God.  We see her purity through her virginity, as when the Angel appeared to her to proclaim the birth of Christ she wondered saying, "How can
this be since I do not know a man?" She had no husband, only betrothed under the care of St. Joseph the Carpenter.  St. Mary was no different than any of
us, she just lived a life in the bosom of the eternal Father.  In order for one to become pure, one must live a life with and in complete submission to God.  This is a very important part in the Christian life, because living a life of purity is the will of our Father. St. Paul says, "This is the will of God that we live lives of purity!" What is the reward for this purity? The gospel of St. Matthew says, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God!" This was
truly the grace manifested to the Holy Theotokos; that she not only saw God but gave birth to God. How great must have St. Mary's purity been that she was
chosen not only to see him, but to become his mother in the flesh.  If we look at St. Mary's life prior to giving birth to our Lord Jesus Christ, we can fully
understand how she developed into a mother of purity.  St. Mary was miraculously born to a rich man named Joachim and his barren wife, Anne. From
the age of 6 months "undefiled" daughters of the Hebrews cared for St. Mary. At the very young age of 3, St. Mary was then taken to reside in the Temple at
Jerusalem till age 12. For nine years St. Mary lived in the temple of God, and Church tradition tells us that for food, angels of God would come and feed her
periodically!  A life of purity is preceded by living in the presence of God.  St. Mary having lived with our Lord at such a young age, was made into a pure
young girl.  The more you live with someone, the more you start to mimic and imitate them in everything.  The more St. Mary lived with our Lord in the
temple, the more she was compelled to follow, mimic, and live a life of purity and bliss as she witnessed these God-like qualities and tasted and saw that
Lord was truly good.  The reward for living a life in accordance with God's will, was that she was chosen to be the Mother of our Savior.  Likewise with
us, if we want to live lives of purity as the Holy Mother, we must live a life filled with God's presence.  Going to church periodically, sitting with the
Holy Spirit through the priest in confession, and praying daily so that we may live with God in our spiritual lives.  The reward for this submission is a life
of purity, and the reward for living pure is not just seeing God as scriptures says but God himself dwells in us.  In the same way the Lord went and dwelled
within the Holy Theotokos, he also comes and dwells within us in the Sacrament of the Eucharist/Communion as a reward for our purity, willingness, and
worthiness in approaching him.  We see that having a pure heart, leads to many other virtues in the life of St. Mary such as obedience, faith, and service.  As a result of her purity, St. Mary obeyed the Angel's command, had faith that her Son would deliver her from sin, and served him at the Wedding in Cana of
Galilee interceding for the wedding party to "Listen to him!"  The spiritual chain reaction that results from a life in the presence of God is that it stirs  purity that calls God to dwell within us and establish us through his Holy Body and Blood.  Then the greatness of this dwelling grants us grace that
develops an immense amount of virtues just as in the life of St. Mary.  May we all live a life of purity as the Holy Virgin did through submitting to our God
and living in his presence.  May we cry out to the Lord as She did saying, "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord!"
 

May her intercessions, and the blessing of the holy fast in her honor be with
us, and Glory to HIM who was born of  her forever, Amen.