Hello Father Angelo,

My question concerns free will in choosing the Blessed Virgin Mary to answer Yes to the angel Gabriel for the plan God had for her. My question is: since Mary was conceived without original sin from the beginning, she was already predestined to become the mother of Jesus. Could she answer no to the angel Gabriel and therefore cancel the plan that God had for her? If so, however, she was conceived without original sin, so it is very difficult for me to believe that Mary could have responded negatively to the Angel’s request. So if Mary was predestined to become the Mother of God by being conceived without original sin, she was not free to answer yes or no, so she had no free will? And what is the point then of the Angel’s question to Mary if she already knew her answer which had to be Yes by virtue of the fact that she was conceived without original sin and that therefore God had reserved this task for her which consequently she could not refuse. For if he had refused that it would be of her that she was conceived without original sin?

A second question concerns your breviary: diocesan priests pray with The Liturgy of the Diocesan Hours, and it is the breviary I have for my prayers that contains the office of readings, praises, middle hour, vespers, and compline. Do you Dominicans use a breviary other than the diocesan one? If so, what is it? Because I am very fascinated by the Dominican Charism and would like to pray using your breviary to join the Dominican family in Prayer.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your answers, Father Angelo, and I remember you every day in my prayers, in the liturgy of the hours, and especially in the Holy Rosary.

Response from the priest

Dearest,

1. Our Lady, because of the great degree of sanctifying grace she had received from the first instant of her conception, enjoyed –as theologians say– confirmation in grace.

Confirmation by pardon means a certain impeccability.

It is immediately specified: not an intrinsic impeccability, since this was enjoyed only by Jesus Christ being God made flesh, but an extrinsic impeccability, deriving from the great degree of love for the Lord and also from a particular divine assistance.

Now if some saints (such as the apostles after Pentecost) have enjoyed confirmation in grace, how to deny it for Mary whose degree of love for the Lord was greater than that of all the saints put together?

2. The Angel’s request for consent was not in vain.

It is true that the Angel knew Mary’s answer, but God wanted Our Lady to be made educated of her call and to be responsibly involved in the mystery of redemption.

As John Paul II recalls, Our Lady was enlightened at that moment about what saying yes would entail for Her (all suffering).

And she said this yes willingly.

St. Thomas adds: she said it in place of all mankind (loco totius Ecclesiae), and therefore performing a great act of love not only for God but also for each of us.

3. In the past, that is, until a few years after the recent liturgical reform, the Dominican Order used its own breviary. Currently, we no longer have it, but we use the Liturgy of the Hours of the Church.

However, we have a Supplement which indicates the Liturgy proper to the Order for the feasts of our Saints and also for some solemnities particularly dear to our spirituality.

I thank you very much for your continued and generous prayer for me.

I reciprocate heartily.

May St. Dominic and all our Saints bless you greatly.

I too bless you along with them.

Father Angelo

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