In the Virgin Mary, we see the image of the perfect disciple. Throughout her earthly life, she cooperated completely with God's grace, never falling into sin of any kind. Through the Immaculate Conception, God kept Mary free of all stain of Original Sin. Throughout her whole life she refrained from any sort of personal sin as well, always keeping her will perfectly aligned with God's Will.
When the Archangel Gabriel came to her, Mary was living in humble circumstances, in a tiny village in a region suffering under the cruel yoke of the Roman Empire. But she believed God's words spoken to her by the angel that she would become the Mother of God and that her son would be the long awaited Messiah.
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