The Mother Who Leads Us to Life, Not Death

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The Immaculate Conception by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Such a gift would enable him both to perform better and to enjoy music more deeply. ... At the same time, however, this gift would also be somewhat of a burden. Because, although the ear with perfect pitch better appreciates good music, it also more deeply suffers bad music. While most of us miss the occasional discordant note and go on happily enjoying a concert, the ear with perfect pitch winces and cringes at each error. These same truths apply to our "spiritual hearing" and in turn help us understand our Lady.

Our soul is created to hear the voice of God—that is, to respond properly to his initiatives and truths, to rejoice as we should and to weep as we should. But our spiritual hearing is flawed to one degree or another, by both original sin and our own particular sins. ... Our Lady's hearing, however, has no such defect. She has the ear with perfect pitch. This comes by way of her Immaculate Conception: no sin ever touched her soul to warp her hearing. As a result, she enjoys the beauty of Jesus' voice, words, and message more deeply and profoundly than anyone else. No selfishness or pride ever distorted her hearing. ... But at the same time—and for the same reason—she also suffers more profoundly than anyone else...

We see the latter truth most clearly during our Lord's Passion as Mary stands at the foot of the cross. Because of her sinlessness, she suffers more than the others gathered there. Her perfect capacity to receive our Lord's words and to interiorise his message makes her all the more vulnerable to the cruelty she witnesses and hears against her Son. ... For the same reason our Lady also has a unique and unsurpassed joy in the Resurrection of her Son. No one else has ever heard the news of our Lord's Resurrection as clearly and deeply as our Lady. The words of the Risen One resound in her heart and soul without any resistance, with perfect clarity. Although the Gospels do not record it, the Church has traditionally believed that Jesus appeared first to his Mother. But this appearance was private, for Mary alone. Imagine how her heart must have moved with joy when she heard that voice that she knew so well. Never have ears so gladly welcomed a voice. Never has a soul so perfectly embraced the good news of the Resurrection. This is why we place ourselves in our Lady's care—so that we who do not hear so well can be guided by her ear with perfect pitch.