Then Uzziah said to her, “Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth; and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven
and earth, who guided your blow at the head of the leader of our enemies.
Judith 13, 18

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Luke 1, 41-42

Most Bible versions in English have Elizabeth declaring, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.” The Catholic New American Bible (NAB) passage has the superlative adjective “most,” qualifying the feminine past participle eulogemene (εὐλογητὴ) which gives meaningful substance to the statement “Blessed are you among women.” The expression “blessed among women” is a Hebraism, which literally means “most blessed among women” or “blessed above (all) women.” There is also no superlative in the Greek lexicon of the original text, which explains why most Bible translations in English don’t include the word “most.”

We have two related examples in the Old Testament concerning the Jewish heroines Jael and Judith, who, as collaborators with God in His saving work, prefigure Mary as the promised woman in the divine order of redemption: ‘Most blessed of women is Jael… blessed among tent-dwelling women… She hammered Sisera, crushed his head; she smashed, pierced his temple’ (Jdgs. 5:24-26). “Blessed are you daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth…who guided your blow at the head of the leader of our enemies” (Jdt. 13:18). What is striking in the passage from the Book of Judith is its close parallel with the Gospel of Luke in its verbal structure and theme.​

Let us examine Judith 13:18 and Luke 1:42 to see how the two passages are connected. The verse in Judith is taken from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The evangelist wrote his gospel in Greek. Here is a sample of what St. Augustine has described: “The New Testament lies hidden in the Old, and the Old Testament is unveiled in the New” (Commentary on the Sermon on the Mount).

Then Uzziah said to her,
“Blessed are you daughter, by the Most High God, above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the Lord God, the creator of heaven and earth,
who guided your blow at the head of the leader of our enemies.”

καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ ᾿Οζίας· εὐλογητὴ σύ, θύγατερ, τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ῾Υψίστῳ παρὰ πάσας τὰς
γυναῖκας τὰς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εὐλογημένος Κύριος ὁ Θεός, ὃς ἔκτισε τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ
τὴν γῆν, ὃς κατεύθυνέ σε εἰς τραῦμα κεφαλῆς ἄρχοντος ἐχθρῶν ἡμῶν

“And blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”

καὶ ἀνεφώνησεν φωνῇ μεγάλῃ καὶ εἶπεν Εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν
καὶ εὐλογημένος ὁ καρπὸς τῆς κοιλίας σου

To understand what St. Luke means by Mary being blessed, we must examine the Greek word he uses to describe Mary’s state of grace. It isn’t the same word he uses in 1:45, which is makaria (μακαρία). Instead, the word he chooses to use here is the feminine perfect passive participle eulogemene (Εὐλογημένη), as we also have in the Deutero-canonical Book of Judith. This verb literally means “having been blessed” and is used as a benediction. The perfect action of the participle is taken to have been completed before Elizabeth praised Mary. How long before the action took place is unimportant, but the Greek verbal idea is that the action has already been completed, most likely at the first instant of Mary’s immaculate conception in virtue of her election to the Divine Maternity.​

This word is employed on only one other occasion in the New Testament, and that is regarding the Kingdom of Heaven: “Blessed (Εὐλογημένη) be the kingdom of our father David that cometh: Hosanna in the highest” (Mk 11:10). The verb eulogemene is derived from the root eulogeo (εὐλογέω). The evangelist is evidently drawing a parallel between Mary and the Kingdom of God to explain how it is that the mother of our Lord is blessed together with her divine Son.

Mary’s blessed state is intended to mean much more than having been favored by God to be the mother of Jesus and having cause to be happy because of this divine privilege. Luke doesn’t use makaria, which literally means “happy.” Elizabeth isn’t merely praising Mary for becoming her Lord's mother. Instead, Mary’s blessedness must do with her personal affinity with her Son spiritually and mystically. God rules in Mary’s soul as much as Christ’s divinity rules his humanity and takes charge of his human soul. God is the ruler of our Blessed Lady’s soul no less than He is the ruler of His heavenly kingdom.​

This is most proper considering God has chosen Mary to collaborate with Him in vanquishing Satan and bringing his dominion in the world to ruin. In response to Elizabeth’s praise, Mary declares, “My soul proclaims the glory of the Lord, and my spirit (pnuema/soul) rejoices in God my savior” (Lk 1:46-47). The Mother and the Son share a single enmity with the serpent and his offspring. Neither of them is subject to him in his domain by being enslaved to sin and oppressed by the corruption of death, as all Adam’s descendants are in the state of original sin. Thus, by Mary having been “blessed,” Elizabeth must mean that her kinswoman has been “sanctified” and “consecrated” to God in virtue of the blessed fruit of her womb, who likewise is holy and consecrated to God the Father in his humanity for serving Him as the “God who is salvation” (Yeshua) in collaboration with his most blessed Mother.​

In the Gospel of St. Luke, it is written that "The kingdom of God is within you" (17:21). The Greek word used for "within" is entos (ἐντός), which can mean either "inside" or "among". The root of this word is en (ἐν), which means "in". Since the evangelist is comparing Mary with the kingdom of God in his description of her being personally blessed, the former meaning is applicable here. It signifies her interior state, which resembles that of her divine son in his humanity. This becomes more apparent when we look at the following passages: "Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor 3:16); "Jesus answered and said to them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up'" (Jn 2:19). When Jesus says "temple," he means his body.

Elizabeth praises her kinswoman for the quality of her soul. She says that Mary's soul reflects the justice and sanctity of her divine Son's soul in his humanity. Mary is blessed for having the Spirit of God within her. This sanctifying grace has made her pure, just as her divine Son is pure in his sacred humanity (1 Jn 3:3). Mary is revealed to be spiritually and bodily unblemished, without any stain of sin, in the likeness of her divine Son. This is because Mary collaborated with him in the redemption of mankind. God made Mary an enemy of the serpent, thus exempting her from being implicated in the sin of Adam along with the rest of humanity. This made her worthy of being the mother of God's Only-begotten Son and our Redeemer.

The verb "eulogeo" appears in its original root form seven times in the Gospels, and it refers to Jesus in the masculine perfect passive participle form. For instance, we find it in the second clause of Luke 1:42 (similar to the Book of Judith, which refers to YHWH) and in Mark 11:9, where it says: "And they that went before and they that followed, cried, saying: Hosanna, blessed (eulogemenos / εὐλογημένος) is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." The blessed state of the kingdom of heaven, where the Divine reigns, is similar to the blessed state of the Lord in his divinized humanity: "full of grace and truth" (Jn 1:14), and it is also similar to the blessed state of his mother Mary, who has been most abundantly and supremely graced: "And the angel being come in, said unto her: Hail, full of grace (Ave gratia plena) the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women" (Lk 1:28 DRB). The original Greek text reads "kecharitomene," which means "completely and perfectly graced in the past with a permanent result." The permanence of Mary's Divine Maternity was established at the first instant of her conception when God sanctified her soul and preserved her free from the stain of original sin.

Luke describes Jesus and Mary as being blessed in common by being divinely favored with the spiritual ability to accomplish the Divine objective: the redemption of mankind. Both Jesus and Mary are consecrated to God, set apart to serve Him, and sanctified by His grace, made holy in their shared humanity. They are fit to meet God’s purpose of satisfying His justice by undoing what the serpent has wrought from the beginning (Gen 3:14).

God's heavenly kingdom is present in Mary, as her disposition and conduct demonstrate its concrete manifestation among fallen humanity. This is due to the coming of the divine Messiah and the outpouring of his regenerating grace, as mentioned in the scriptures (Jer 31:31-34; Ezek 36:24-27, etc.). Mary observes the law of the first covenant established on Sinai, which is written in her heart as the natural law of love and freedom. This law is not written on stone, but declared to her by the Holy Spirit who dwells in her soul. Through the Holy Spirit, Mary is taught to know God as He should be known, in His goodness and righteousness. The Holy Spirit enlightens her mind and transforms it with His generous gift of knowledge and understanding (Jn 14:26).

God has taken Mary away from sinful humanity and has given her a heart of flesh, putting His Spirit in her. This helps her to always follow His laws and decrees. In the light of faith, our Blessed Lady understands all that God has taught His chosen people through Moses. She is a daughter of God after His heart and worthy of receiving her promised inheritance. Mary’s covenant with God is the new and everlasting one, which was established through the mediation of her divine Son. His precious blood was poured out to make this possible (Lk 22:20). The blood of her Son has not cleansed her of any sin, but has instead preserved her from being tainted by it. This justifying blood of her Son, which mixed with her own blood in her holy womb, applies to her first and foremost in honor of her and for the establishment of her covenant with God.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is considered to be the first human being to benefit from redemption. This is not only because she was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God, but also because she lived a life free from sin. Throughout her life, Mary never committed any personal sins, and her conscience never condemned her. She was in perfect harmony with God and never had to repent for any wrongdoing. This is why Mary is so highly revered and considered to be a model of faith for all Christians.

Mary is described as an exceptional participant in the divine nature, free from all corruption caused by dark human desires, according to 2 Peter 1:4. The divine light within her illuminates her soul, reflecting her divine Son's image. Her soul's divine quality shines into the world through her love for God and her charity towards humanity. This manifestation of God's glory showcases the coming of His new kingdom on earth, as per Matthew 5:16. Mary's innermost being is pure and resembles her divine Son's inherent righteousness in his humanity. By cooperating with the graces and gifts bestowed upon her by the Holy Spirit, Mary keeps herself pure, just as her divine Son is pure (1 Jn 3:3).

Mary, in her state of blessedness, sees the God she desires to see face to face within herself. As she gazes upon herself, the Holy Spirit bears testimony to the sublime quality of her soul. She finds that the Lord she longs to see face to face is inside her, sanctifying the temple of her body and the sacred sanctuary of her womb. The glory of God radiates her soul with its light, as her soul proclaims His glory (Lk. 1:46). The kingdom of God is within Mary and not in any specific physical place. She is with the Lord as fittingly as she should be in His work of redemption. She stands in complete enmity with Satan and the powers of darkness that wreak havoc in the world within God’s providence, just as her divine Son is in his sacred humanity.

In describing Mary as "most blessed" (eulogemene), Luke portrays her as the free and promised woman in whom the peace of the Kingdom of God reigns. The quality of Mary's soul is a prelude to the life of Heaven itself, as there is nothing spiritually lacking in her state of being. Mary is not subject to the disordered inclinations of the soul, which even the faithful must strive to overcome in their daily life of unity with God because of original sin. In the depths of her soul, she experiences joy and peace in God's complete dominion over her, free from all the dark passions that can disturb and blemish the soul with its vices.

And to the woman were given two wings of a great
eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her
place, where she is nourished for a time, and times,
and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
Revelation 12:14

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is like her son in his humanity. She is full of grace and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which keep her detached from all the things in the world that may draw a soul away from God. These things are the vain allurements of the world which the serpent or dragon exploits to destroy souls by extinguishing the light of God’s glory in them. In fact, Mary's soul magnified the glory of the Lord, and her spirit rejoiced in God, her savior, who redeemed his most blessed mother perfectly (Lk 1:46-49).

Mary has never experienced a transition from a state of sin to a life of grace as she has always been completely opposed to the serpent. Grace has been with Mary from before birth, as she was predestined to be the Mother of God. Mary's will has always been aligned with God's, and she desires to please Him above all else. She is not plagued by any dark thoughts or desires that would go against God's will. The devil has no power over her, and she is free from any unruly desires such as pride, envy, ambition, greed, and lust. Instead, Mary possesses only supernatural virtues that God wants her to have in His love and goodness, such as faith, hope, charity, chastity, humility, kindness, patience, fortitude, wisdom, and gentleness.

The kingdom of heaven on earth is not a physical place or a territorial dominion. Rather, it is the divine quality of the human soul, sanctified by God’s grace, that exists in this world. It is like a lamp set upon a hill, shining its light before others so that they may see its goodness and glorify God in return. The Virgin Mary is the ultimate light of the world, shining brighter than any other human being ever created by the Holy Spirit. She offers this light to all those who desire to become like her children, by perfectly emulating her Divine Son in his humanity (Mt 5:14-16). Mary is the prototype of the Church, serving as our perfect model of faith and charity in God’s grace. She is indeed the most blessed of all.

The Kingdom of God is said to be within Mary, as God rules in her soul through the Holy Spirit who blessed her. Her soul is pure and untainted, like an unspoiled wilderness with untilled soil, untouched by worldly wisdom and unnatural desires that deviate from the original goodness of creation. Mary is lifted up by the wings of divine grace above the region of sinful humanity. She is beyond the reach of the dragon and the raging waters of sin, having escaped its clutches, for she was not born into the sinful slavery of its dominion. Our Blessed Lady is the promised free Woman of God, whose holy offspring is the free Son of promise.

As the lily among thorns
so is my love among the daughters.
Song of Solomon 2, 2

St. Luke portrays the Virgin Mary as a living symbol of the pneumatic Church or the Kingdom of God. She is depicted as having no "spot or wrinkle" and being "holy and without blemish" (Eph 5:27). Mary personifies the heavenly Church, which is essentially the pilgrim Church on earth. She is presented as a perfect model for all the faithful who have been predestined to grace and are children of God by adoption. These faithful are "chosen to be holy and without blemish before Him" (Eph 1:3-6). Our Blessed Lady embodies the highest stage of conversion that baptized Christians are called to attain. This stage is the state of spiritual perfection and mystical union with God. Despite the many imperfections that remain in those who have advanced this far, they are still at war with the dragon in their spiritual combat.

Mary is considered to be equally blessed as her Son, not by nature but by grace. She was preserved free from the stain of original sin by the grace of God, which is why St. Paul’s exhortation to all the faithful, that they “put off the old nature for the new nature,” does not apply to her (Eph 4:22-24). Since her sanctified soul was infused into her body upon her creation, Mary represents God’s re-creation of fallen humanity.

The grace that Mary possesses is a unique gift from God, bestowed upon her due to her Divine Maternity. She serves as a model of spiritual perfection, being in constant communion with God and living a life completely free of spiritual imperfections. Despite this, she continues to grow in knowledge and wisdom through life's experiences. Mary's soul is entirely detached from the created world and united with God, allowing her to live a life of faithfulness and abandonment. She follows her Son and walks in the light as He does, guided by the Holy Spirit's enlightenment of her soul in the perfection of love. Mary is God's perfect creation, ever-blossoming in perfection.

Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“Fear not, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak.
The Lord your God is in your midst,
a mighty one who will save;
he will rejoice over you with gladness;
he will quiet you by his love;
he will exult over you with loud singing.
Zephaniah 3, 14-18

Our Most Blessed Lady loves God with a pure and perfect love. By loving Him, she is able to love her neighbor with an unfailing love that reflects God’s absolute love. Mary’s love for human souls comes from the love that God has for her (1 Jn 4:19). She truly understands what true love means and fully appreciates it. The love that she has for others is that same eternal love that she has received from God and cherishes above all temporal goods. Her love may be finite, but it is perfect. Mary’s soul is free of all pride, ego, and selfishness. God is the supreme object of her soul, and she humbly denies herself before Him. As a result, she becomes the mother of God the Son. God raises up and exalts the humble and lowly, and for all the “great things” He has done to her (Lk 1:48-49), all Christian generations shall declare the Virgin Mary blessed.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is considered to be God's most incredible creation among all human beings. She has been fashioned by God to be knowledgeable and charitable, which is the bond of perfection. Since she has reached the age of maturity, Mary has always sought to focus on "the things that are above, where her Son is, seated at the right hand of God." She has always directed her mind towards heavenly things and not towards earthly things, for she has renounced this world, and her life "is hidden with Christ in God." As Mary has been chosen and made to be the holy Mother of God, her divine Son has revealed himself within her soul, proclaiming his glory. Therefore, she will be "revealed with him" in the glory of her Assumption, body and soul, into Heaven. Everything that Mary has done throughout her life, "in word or deed," she has done "in the name of the Lord" (Col 3:17). By the abundant grace, our Most-Blessed Lady has received, the kingdom of God is "neither here nor there" but "within" Mary in an extraordinary way (Lk 17:21).

The Protestant theologian Karl Barth rightly stated: “Jesus himself is the kingdom, he was the kingdom, and will be the kingdom, and in him exists the entire establishment, all the salvation, all the joy of the kingdom.” “The identity between Church and kingdom,” Christoph Cardinal Schonborn says, “has its basis in Christ,” yet “there is no higher concretization of this identity for the Church than the Mother of God. It would not be possible to assert this identity if its only basis was Christ, the Head of the Church. There was no real perfect correspondence on the side of the members of the Church (Mystical Body of Christ) … If Mary did not exist in the Church, then there would be a distance between the Church and the kingdom, because of the presence of sinners in the Church… In Mary, the most perfect member of the Church, we can contemplate the Church’s true nature… ‘As the Mother of Jesus… is the image and the beginning of the Church, which will be perfected in the world to come, so she also shines here on earth in the intermediary time until the day of the Lord comes… as a sign of sure hope and of consolation to the people of God on its pilgrim way’” (Lumen Gentium 58).

Beautiful for elevation,
the joy of the whole earth,
is mount Zion,
on the sides of the north,
the city of the great King.
Psalm 48, 2

Early Sacred Tradition

“For whereas the Word of God was without flesh, He took upon Himself the holy flesh
by the holy Virgin, and prepared a robe which He wove for Himself, like a bridegroom,
in the sufferings of the cross, in order that by uniting His own power with our moral body,
and by mixing the incorruptible with the corruptible, and the strong with the weak,
He might save perishing man.”
St. Hippolytus,
Treatise on Christ and anti-Christ, 4
(A.D. 200)

“You alone and your Mother are more beautiful than any others,
for there is no blemish in you nor any stains upon your Mother.
Who of my children can compare in beauty to these?”
St. Ephraem of Syria
Nisibene Hymns 27:8
(A.D. 361)

“As he formed her without any stain of her own,
so He proceeded from her contracting no stain.”
St. Proclus of Constantinople
Homily 1
(ante A.D. 446)