The Heiress
Marco Pozza - In heaven, she is regarded as the Heiress—a title deserving of a capital letter. How could God, foreseeing the future of His Son, not prepare the womb of the woman who would carry Him as entirely free from sin? He thought as the best of fathers would, though infinitely greater, as He is the Father of all fathers, both ancestors and unborn. God prepared for His Son the most beautiful dwelling, a garden of wonders, the immaculate womb of a woman of unassuming beauty. And so, in due time, Our Lady entered the world—imagined, desired, and lovingly prepared. She was born, “conceived without original sin,” as countless generations would later celebrate in joyful litanies.
“She’s the usual-privileged one,” sneers Satan, spreading his venomous gossip about Our Lady. As the prince of filth, he cannot help but despise her. In Mary, he finds no foothold—sin is the hook he uses to reel in souls and destroy them with lies. But with Mary, he is powerless, left to sulk like the fox lamenting the unreachable grapes. His hatred of her is absolute and eternal, for this great Woman embodies God’s declaration of war against him: “I will put enmity between you and the woman… she will crush your head” (Genesis 3:14-15). The adversary was forewarned.
When Mary was born to Anne and Joachim, she was born with extraordinary grace. The weapons of Satan—sin’s corruption and fleeting pleasures—found no fertile ground in her heart. “Of course she said yes to the Angel,” some may cynically mutter. “She had no other choice.” Nothing could be further from the truth. To suggest that Mary was coerced into her “yes” is to misunderstand her entirely. While it is true, she was uniquely graced—born free from the stain of sin—grace alone does not dictate a person’s response. Countless heirs inherit fortunes but squander them, failing to recognize their value. “One generation builds, another enjoys, and the third destroys,” goes the old saying. Inheritance must be embraced, cultivated, and lived out.
Mary’s response to the Archangel was far from automatic. When Gabriel announced God’s plan, she hesitated: “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Luke 1:34). These were not words of doubt but a bold assertion of her freedom. Mary was not a passive vessel. She demanded clarity, and Gabriel had to explain further before she grasped the magnitude of her role. Only then did she freely and courageously offer herself: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord”(Luke 1:38). A servant, not a slave. A woman in love with God, not dazzled by the first man who crossed her path.
Sin is an affront to divine majesty, the bait Satan uses to distract souls from God. This must be said, not ignored. Mary, however, is the refuge of sinners, standing between the just punishment of hell and the salvation her Son offers. She does not forgive sins—that is Christ’s role—but she intercedes for us, as a mother, appeals to the father of the household. For nine months, she carried Him in her womb, as the priest raises the Host at the altar. For thirty years, she held Him close with the tender devotion of a mother in love. She did not understand everything about Him, but even in her uncertainty, she cherished all she witnessed, trusting she would one day comprehend.
Satan, the beast of mud, despises her. He would destroy her if he could, but he cannot. If Christ is the treasure, Mary is the key. While the key is not the treasure itself, without it, the treasure remains inaccessible. Mary is our key to Christ—He came to us through her. What the saints achieve with her help, only she can accomplish alone. She is Mary. She is the Heiress.
The author has not revised the translations.
