Prologue

Isaiah says about Christ: who will tell of his generations? (Isa 53:8). The generation of Christ rests in a way on the generation of Mary—I speak here of Christ’s generation in time. (“In a way” (quodammodo), for not in an absolute way; God did not depend on her, but he had chosen her to be the mother of Christ. Cf. how Thomas distinguishes between different meanings of necessity: in ST III.46.1 in the context of the Passion in view of God’s almightiness.) Hence the human understanding is not enough for telling the whole story of the generation of Mary. (Although she is a human being born from an earthly father and an earthly mother, her birth is a mystery: ST III.27.1–5.) Let us, therefore, call upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, by which (Latin: quam, the antecedent of which is “grace” (gratiam).) Mary is sanctified, and let us ask the Lord himself that he may give me something to say.