A Womb As Big As The World
Elia Carrai - Through the presence of the angel entering her home, God reveals Himself to Mary, presenting His plan to the freedom of this young girl. The fulfillment that the Most High desires for His people is not the reconquest of ancestral lands, nor political or religious hegemony for Israel. Instead, it is something far greater: God Himself, the Emmanuel, “God-with-us” (cf. Isaiah 7:14).
Mary’s humble and decisive “Here I am” to God’s initiative enables the Mystery to dwell among us (cf. John 1:14), and even within us (cf. Romans 8:9). The feast of Mary, Mother of God, which marks the beginning of each new year, invites us to reflect: What truly fulfills the deepest expectations, questions, and wounds of our hearts? What satisfies the promises that lie hidden within us, waiting to be revealed in the highs and lows of life?
Only those who, like Mary, experience being “displaced” by God’s presence can realize that neither land, political power, nor liberation from oppression are sufficient answers to our boundless needs. In His infinite condescension, God is not content to merely send another prophet or reiterate the law. Instead, He “pours” Himself into history. The Most High becomes man so that we may live as God intends. He responds to the prophet’s cry to “rend the heavens and come down” (cf. Isaiah 63:19) by uniting heaven and earth. The God of heaven becomes flesh.
From the womb of Mary, the everyday reality of humanity becomes the place where God makes Himself present—a discreet yet profound presence, like a tender sprout firmly rooted in the earth (cf. Isaiah 11:1). Mary experiences this firsthand. After the angel’s announcement, she rushes “in haste” to visit her relative Elizabeth, whose miraculous pregnancy serves as confirmation of God’s action. Mary’s purity and simplicity are evident in this swift and eager journey—a desire to embrace the living Mystery with urgency and joy.
This moment is like the first ripple in the vast sea of history, a ripple destined to expand. Beginning with Mary’s womb, human history becomes the space where God continually reveals Himself, inviting us to seek Him anew. Mary’s “run” to Elizabeth is only the first of many races: Peter searches for Jesus in Capernaum, crying, “Everyone is looking for you!” (cf. Mark 1:37); Mary Magdalene runs to the tomb on Easter morning; Peter and John rush to confirm the Resurrection; Paul races forward, “straining toward what is ahead” (cf. Philippians 3:12).
From Mary’s visceral experience of the Mystery, a new horizon opens for humanity—a horizon marked by encounters with men and women transformed by the Spirit of Christ. These encounters awaken something deep within us: a recognition of a “different kind of humanity” that corresponds to the deepest desires of our hearts.
As Fr. Giussani wrote: “Jesus Christ hides Himself, becomes present, under the appearance of a different humanity. This encounter strikes us because it corresponds to the structural needs of the heart more than any mode of thought or imagination. It is something so simple, so elementary, that it requires no explanation—only recognition. It arouses astonishment, emotion, and a call to follow, because it corresponds to the deepest expectations of the heart.”
Cardinal Ratzinger echoed this: “We can recognize only that for which a correspondence exists within us. This correspondence is the criterion of truth.”
This encounter doesn’t just mark the beginning of faith—it is renewed continuously throughout life. Like Mary, those who encounter Christ find their humanity awakened in unimaginable ways. As Fr. Giussani notes:
“It begins to awaken in you a sense of your own humanity, as when Mary’s visit caused the child in Elizabeth’s womb to leap. It stirs something within you that you didn’t even know existed: the desire for a humanity awakened to its fullest potential.”
Thus, at the start of each new year, the Church invites us to fix our gaze on Mary. She is the first to experience the full awakening of humanity’s beauty and breadth in response to God’s presence. By looking to her, we are drawn to the One who continues to awaken and fulfill our hearts.
The author hasn’t revised its translation.
