Introduction

Much has been said, and no doubt will continue to be said, about Mary. She is an extremely pivotal figure in salvation history. She is, in all probability, also one of the most misunderstood persons as well. She is the bearer of many titles: for example, she is known simply as the Mother of Jesus, Mother of God, Theotokos (God-bearer), Queen of Heaven and Immaculate Conception to name but five. More recently, it can be said, she has been named by several in the Catholic Church as Co-Redemptrix. In other words, she has played an extremely important part of God’s plan of salvation. This is true, though currently the Vatican has been urging a degree of caution over the use of this title. This is because it is thought that Mary could be deemed to be as equal to, or even greater, than Jesus, who is the Redeemer of the world. Whatever the arguments might be, Mary is, as stated earlier, certainly a pivotal figure in salvation history.

This set of nine poems seeks to unashamedly highlight the immaculate purity of Mary, as being not just a worthy person to bear the Christ child, but as the perfectly redeemed vessel of sinless grace for this purpose. We can recall the story of St. Bernadette, a simple, illiterate peasant girl of fourteen years to whom Our Lady finally revealed her true identity at the end of the sequence of visions given to her – the Immaculate Conception. Bernadette, being totally uneducated, wouldn’t have had either the cunning or the guile to make up such a story. Neither did she know what was meant by such a term. It was her innocent, simple acceptance of what Mary asked of her and of what she said to her concerning that name, that some years later made Lourdes such an important place of pilgrimage. Does one argue against this out of blind ignorance and/or fear, or does one do as Bernadette did, that is, accept it with purity, innocence and reverence? From my own initial misgivings at the start of my discernment pathway towards the Roman Catholic faith, I have understood the logic of the term Immaculate Conception and, like Bernadette, accept it freely.

All of the poems are written in iambic pentameter blank verse, my favourite method of writing. May God bless you as you make your journey through the poetry presented before you.

Pax, Peter.