"And the angel said ...

'The holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born will be called holy,
the Son of God.'"
(Lk 1:35)

The Spirit of God which dwelt in her heart and who fashioned the purity of her nature now gives himself to Mary in a new form of love by actualizing the mysterious capacities of her being. With Mary's act of faith, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38), her love became fruitful. She realized within herself a wonder beyond understanding, the growing presence of the Son of God. This was truly a unique physical-mystical union of the divine and human. She gave of her substance to the growing divine child thus drawing unbelievably close to God beyond any other creature in the universe.

Mary caught up in the wonder within, kept silent. She did not tell Joseph, nor her mother or her relatives the secret. Only Elizabeth, inspired by the Spirit, recognized what had happened and cried out, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb." (Lk 1:42) At this point Mary's mystical heart full of joy burst out glorifying God.

"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.
For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness;
behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.
The Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name."

During her pregnancy, Mary became literally the Temple of the Triune God. "In" Mary ... the Father was Fatherhood, that is, he continued hi eternal process of begetting his Son. The Son, who was Sonship, continued in turn the eternal process of "being begotten." And from the embrace of both, the Holy Spirit was proceeding. From eternity to eternity the same marvel was happening: in the closed circle of intratrinitarian realm a vital, fertile current of knowledge and love was flowing, an ineffable life of abundant sharing between the three persons. This tremendous mystery was now unfolding within the limited frame of this fragile young woman. It is far beyond imagination." (The Silence of Mary, p 168-169)

Mystical Birth