of God and her heavenly reward are a source of courage and
hope for all of us." (Pope Benedict XVI) Doing the will of God
was the foundation of Mary's response to all God asked of her.
Surrendering to the mysterious will of God without
understanding the details made Mary the new Eve. Where Eve
would not embrace the will of God, Mary chose to. "Behold the
handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your will."
This was the reality of her life. In this she models for us what
our response to God should be, even if we fall short at times.
Further, she said "yes" in love, not in obligation, inviting us to
do the same. She did so by the grace of God, the same grace
given to each of us.