God is no respecter of men, in the sense that he
treats us all the same, but does that include the same partiality with the way
he chooses to use us for His glory? Hildegard of Bingen, author of Responsory
for the Virgin, expresses that in the way we conduct our spiritual life
determines how God uses us by portraying the double meaning behind Mary's
virginity. Hildegard expresses Mary's pureness of living by describing the
sight of her through God's eyes as a, "rose that sprang from [her] when
the supernatural father saw her virgin splendor." She also goes on and
states, "[Mary's] mortal flesh spoke his word," between each stanza
and I believe that the first two instances were meant in a literal way of which
Mary was faithful in her relationship with him. Due to her devout nature he
chose her to be a gateway for his spirit and give birth to Jesus who is the
Word of God made flesh which would apply to the last instance of her speaking
his word. The second section of Responsory for the Virgin speaks
of the usage of her physical virginity to give birth to Jesus. God chose
Mary to become the gateway for his spirit to roam the earth the same way her
Hymen was a physical gateway for baby Jesus.
Hildegard of Bingen. "Responsory for the Virgin." 2012. The Norton Anthology World Literature. 3rd ed. Vol. B. New York: W. W. Norton, 2012. 330-31. Print.
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