I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,
and my soul shall be joyful in my God:
for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation:
and with the robe of justice he hath covered me,
as a bridegroom decked with a crown,
and as a bride adorned with her jewels.
Isaiah 61, 10

At that time, I will bring you home,
at the time when I will gather you together;
yea, I will make you renowned and praised
among all the peoples of the earth,
when I restore your fortunes
before your eyes, says the Lord.
Zephaniah 3, 20

I will perpetuate your memory through all generations;
therefore the nations will praise you forever and ever.
Psalm 45, 17

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion,
then we thought we were dreaming.
Our mouths were filled with laughter;
our tongues sang for joy.
Then it was said among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them.”
The Lord has done great things for us;
Oh, how happy we were.
Psalm 126, 1-3

ἰδοὺ γὰρ ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν μακαριοῦσί με πᾶσαι αἱ γενεαί

Sacred Scripture often confirms Catholic Tradition by using words or phrases written by the authors of the Biblical texts under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This helps the Church to better understand what God has intended to fully reveal to the faithful regarding matters of faith and morals, regardless of whether the authors were aware of the Divine intention (sensus plenior). Sometimes, the selection of words and phrases goes beyond the immediate context of the matter, such as in prophecies. Isaiah 7:14 is an excellent example of this, which Matthew himself quotes in his Gospel when bearing witness to Christ's incarnation (Mt 1:23).

In her Canticle of Praise or Magnificat, Mary speaks prophetically when she proclaims: “Behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed.” What non-Catholic Christians generally understand Mary means by being blessed (makaria) is that she has been highly favored to be the mother of Jesus. In its primary signification, the prophecy has been realized. Unless Mary is the mother of the Lord in his humanity, by conceiving and giving birth to him, there is no reason for Christians to rejoice in Mary’s happiness for her sake because of this singular favor that God has granted her. Yet we are still left with the prophecy’s secondary fulfillment, which the evangelist alludes to in the following verse: “Because the Almighty has done great things to me, and holy is His name.” These great things or privileges Mary refers to concerning her blessed state relate to her Divine Maternity and, by this singular favor, extend from it.

In the given context, the Greek word used by Luke for being pronounced blessed is "makarizó / μακαρίζω". It can be interpreted as meaning "to be pronounced blessed because of enjoying privileges that extend from God's favor", which in this case refers to the Divine Maternity. Therefore, the "great things" that God has done for Mary are blessings that come from her being the Mother of God (Isa 7:14; Lk 1:35, 43). In the future, all Christian faithful will not only honor Mary for being chosen from among all women to be the mother of Jesus, but they will also rejoice with her for the special privileges she received by being our Lord's mother.

The Greek word for "blessed" is more than just an honorary term. It also serves as a benediction that promotes goodness and well-being, which Mary, the Mother of the Divine Messiah, particularly possesses. This word connotes her personal relationship with God in the supernatural life of grace. All future generations shall acknowledge blessings that, by Mary’s maternal right, exclusively belong to her in the order of divine grace. These privileges are closely tied to Mary’s association with her divine Son in his work of redemption, which is another essential reason why she was chosen to be his mother. Jesus was not "made of a woman" only to acquire his humanity from her. More importantly, she was chosen to morally participate in the objective redemption of humanity. (Gal 4:4; Lk 2:35).

According to Protestant Biblical scholar Donald G. Dawes, the word "blessed" (makaria) used in Luke 1:48 is not just a polite honorific term, but rather a term that was used in Patristic literature to describe the martyrs. Dawes explains that the martyrs' highest expression of blessedness was "the possibility of their ascension into heaven to dwell in the immediate presence of God" (The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in Ecumenical Perspective). This means that the martyrs are not simply blessed for having sacrificed their lives for Christ in faith, just as Mary is not blessed only for having faithfully consented to be the mother of the Lord. What matters most from an eschatological point of view is the final consummation of these acts of faith, which are informed by charity and grace.

Jesus prophesied that the pure in heart are blessed (makaria) and will be able to see God (Mt 5:8). This means that the ultimate expression of being blessed is the ability to see God, which is a result of having a pure heart. Therefore, while the Virgin Mary's divine motherhood is a gift and a significant aspect of her being blessed, it is not the highest expression of her blessed or happy state. Her status as the Mother of God and our Divine Messiah is the source of her blessedness, and it is through this that she is revered by future generations of believers.

This prophetic verse from the Gospel of Luke is crucial to the Catholic dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, body and soul, into Heaven. It highlights Mary's role in the Incarnation, which is an essential part of God's plan in the economy of salvation. Mary's Divine call and moral participation in collaboration with God led to the final consummation of her salvation in a unique way. What Mary has been graced with is something that all future generations shall exceedingly rejoice in, for her sake alone.

Mary cannot be considered blessed simply because she was faithful and passed away to be with the other faithful departed in heaven. This is the hope of all Christians who die in a state of sanctifying grace. The redemption of their bodies on the Last Day is a divine truth that has been demonstrated and foreshadowed by the resurrection of Christ as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23. On the other hand, Our Lady is speaking prophetically about herself and a particular form of bodily redemption that only pertains to her. This is due to her unique personal relationship with God in the hypostatic order of Christ's incarnation.

Thus, Mary's prophecy was fulfilled in two ways, the primary being her role as the mother of Jesus Christ. The secondary fulfillment is found in her Assumption, where her body and soul were united in the Beatific Vision of God. This is seen as the highest expression of her blessedness. Mary was granted this pre-eminent favor by God's grace, which no other human will ever receive. This is not just because of her Divine Motherhood, but also because of the other privilege that God granted her - her Immaculate Conception and freedom from every stain of sin. As a result of these privileges, all future generations will pronounce Mary blessed.

Luke 1:48 says, "For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." In the original Greek, the word "Behold" (idŏu or ιδου) is a demonstrative particle that has no exact equivalent in the English language. Unlike the Hebrew term hinnēh, Greek words often add life to a narrative by introducing something new or extraordinary. This is frequently used to emphasize the importance of something great. (For example, see Lk 1:31; 2:10-11, KJB). For the faithful, there is nothing extraordinary in the fundamental Christian belief of a saint having died and gone to Heaven, at least not for them. However, what is extraordinary or unique is that the Blessed Virgin Mary has been gloriously assumed body and soul into Heaven because of her Divine Maternity and exemption from every stain of sin, both original and personal. All the other departed saints in Heaven must wait until Christ returns in glory for the redemption of their bodies. They remain in repose apart from the holy souls until the general Resurrection at the end of this age (Rev 20:4-5).

The word "Behold" has connotations that refer to a renewed and singular state of being for Mary, rather than a change of circumstance in her life that occurred at the Annunciation. It also carries the weight of a divine ordinance and points to something of great prophetic importance that God wills to draw our attention to. Therefore, Christians of all generations should not only pronounce Mary blessed because she was chosen to be the mother of their Lord Jesus, but also consider the "great things" God has done for her. These privileges extend from that one supreme privilege.

My beloved spoke and said to me,
“Arise, my darling, my beautiful one,
come with me.
See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.”
Song of Solomon 2, 10-11

EARLY SACRED TRADITION

“He was the ark formed of incorruptible wood. For by this is signified
that His tabernacle was exempt from putridity and corruption.”
St. Hippolytus, Orations Inillud, Dominus pascit me
(ante A.D. 235)

If the Holy Virgin had died and was buried, her falling asleep would have been surrounded
with honour, death would have found her pure, and her crown would have been a virginal
one…Had she been martyred according to what is written: ‘Thine own soul a sword shall
pierce’, then she would shine gloriously among the martyrs, and her holy body would have
been declared blessed; for by her, did light come to the world.”
St. Epiphanius, Panarion, 78:23
(A.D. 377)

“But Mary, the glorious Mother of Christ, who is believed
to be a virgin both before and after she bore him, has,
as we said above, been translated into paradise, amid the singing
of the angelic choirs, whither the Lord preceded her.”
St. Gregory of Tours
Eight Books of Miracles, 1:8
[A.D. 584]

“It was fitting … that the most holy body of Mary, God-bearing body, receptacle of God,
divinized, incorruptible, illuminated by divine grace and full glory … should be entrusted to
the earth for a little while and raised up to heaven in glory, with her soul pleasing to God.”
St. Theoteknos of Livias
Homily on the Assumption
[ca. A.D. 600]

“You are she who, as it is written, appears in beauty,
and your virginal body is all holy, all chaste, entirely the
dwelling place of God, so that it is henceforth completely exempt
from dissolution into dust. Though still human, it is changed into
the heavenly life of incorruptibility, truly living and glorious,
undamaged and sharing in perfect life.”
St. Germanus of Constantinople, Sermon I
[A.D. 683]

“It was fitting that the she, who had kept her virginity intact in childbirth, should keep her own
body free from all corruption even after death. It was fitting that she, who had carried the
Creator as a child at her breast, should dwell in the divine tabernacles. It was fitting that the
spouse, whom the Father had taken to himself, should live in the divine mansions. It was
fitting that she, who had seen her Son upon the cross and who had thereby received into
her heart the sword of sorrow which she had escaped when giving birth to him, should look
upon him as he sits with the Father, It was fitting that God’s Mother should possess what
belongs to her Son, and that she should be honored by every creature as the Mother and
as the handmaid of God.”
St. John Damascene
Dormition of Mary
[A.D. 697]