How Beautiful is Our Lady?

The Ever-Virgin Mary, the Blessed Theotokos and Immaculate Queen of Heaven is the most beautiful created being in all of human history. It is no accident that St. Nectarios declares in his hymn,

More precious than the cherubim/ more glorious than the seraphim

Surpassing principalities/ dominions, thrones and powers

Rejoice, song of the cherubim/ Rejoice, hymn of the angels

Rejoice, ode of the seraphim/ and joy of the archangels

Rejoice, O peace; Rejoice, O joy/ and haven of salvation

O bridal chamber of the Word/ unfading, fragrant blossom

Rejoice, delight of paradise/ Rejoice, life everlasting

Rejoice, O holy tree of life/ and fount of immortality

St. Maximus the Confessor, in his hagiography of Our Lady describes the state of Our Lord's Nativity and her state afterward.

"[T]he sight and speech of the unwed and completely incorruptible mother was the height of grace and glory, and the character of her form was beyond all human understanding. Nothing of the customary pain and weakness of childbirth appeared in her, but she was brilliant and exceedingly beautiful after the birth, for she too was filled with the grace and light of the birth, and it was a wondrous thing for all who saw it." (The Life of the Virgin)

Theologians are in near unanimous agreement that the Nativity Our Lord was a return to the Edenic perfection of childbirth and not the state of the post-fall corruption. It would have had to have been for Our Lady remained spotless, preserved by the grace of God, being prepared for the merit and honor of becoming the glorious Theotokos. The incarnation awaited her consent. She fully submitted to the will of God. It is typical to refer to her as an "unwed bride" for while she was betrothed to St. Joseph, it was clear in seeing her as the Ark of Covenant, that he could not so much as even touch her for her holiness far exceeded that of his own. His role was strictly limited to that of a mere guardian of Our Lady until his reposal.

Being crowned the Queen of Heaven in her glorious assumption into Heaven, she was elevated beyond the glory of all the Angelic beings, Dominions, Cherubim, Seraphim. Lucifer was the rank of a Seraphim when he rebelled against God and is described as the most beautiful of all the angels before he rejected the salvation he had previously possessed. Our Lady was elevated even beyond his own prior ranking, to give perspective on the height of her beauty. Our Lady did not experience the deterioration of age. Being purified, she was not subjected to death. Neither was her Son. Indeed, they voluntarily gave themselves to death for the purpose of witnessing to the world the glorious power of God in resurrection and redemption.

I have described this wonderful look that the Crazy Church Lady gave to me a week before my reception into the Church. A radiant smile, brighter than the sun, face golden with the sunlight, pure love. I described it to a friend of mine in Arizona and he told me that I literally saw God. I know I did. But Our Lady's beauty nevertheless dwarfs even the beauty of the Crazy Church Lady. I'm certain that the Crazy Church Lady will receive a splendid award in Heaven one day, but Our Lady will always outrank even her.

I conclude with what St. Louis de Montfort said, "He who has not Mary as his Mother, cannot have God as his Father."

(2) Greek Byzantine orthodox chant: Agni Parthene/ Αγνή Παρθένε (Lyric Video) - YouTube