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translation by John Wijngaards
“With her heart and her body the virgin constructed for the Holy Spirit a temple in which the son of God lived corporeally. In this temple she offered herself with whatever she had in her: her sovereign chastity of heart and body more agreeable to God than any sacrifice. But much more, by her spontaneous agreement during the passion, she offered her son, who was also the Son of God; and she did this not by changing bread and wine into his body and offering him under a different species, but according to the bodily form of his own flesh and his own blood, under the proper species in whom she had conceived him. Through this offering which is at once all-sufficient and very agreeable, offered just one time (Hebrews 9 passim) she reconciled God with the whole human race.” Mariale, Alberti Magni Opera Omnia, ed. Borgnet, Paris 1890-1899, vol. 37, qu. 51, p. 97.
‘Mary possessed the greatest possible love, not only with regard to the interior act but also as to the externalisation of her act, so that this love became supremely effective. And one should not object that she has not “given her life” for her neighbour (John 10,15) because she has done more: she has given for her neighbour the life of her son, and this is the very same son whom she loved more than herself. And if it had been necessary she would have offered to the passion, with her own proper will her own life. And within the passion of her son, she crucified her own life with her son. So that in fact she offered two lives. In this way she doubled the efficacy of her love. This is what is meant by the words “a sword of pain will pierce your heart” (Luke 2, 35).’Mariale, Alberti Magni Opera Omnia, ed. Borgnet, Paris 1890-1899, vol. 37, resp. ad qu. 45-49, p. 117.
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