Let the heavens rejoice from above, and let the clouds rain down justice, because the Lord has had pity on his people.
Let the heavens rejoice from above, for when they were being created in the beginning, Adam too was formed by the Creator from the virgin soil, and appeared as the friend and intimate of God.
Let the heavens rejoice from above: for the earth has now been sanctified by the Incarnation of our Lord in the flesh and mankind has been freed from the sacrifices of idolatry.
Let the clouds pour down justice: because today Eve’s fault has been taken away and forgiven by the Virgin Mary’s purity and by him who was born of her, he who is at the same time God and man. Today Adam, after the ancient condemnation, was freed from the dread sentence of night.
Christ then, according to his own good pleasure, was born of the Virgin, from whom he took flesh by the ordering of divine providence: And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us; and the Virgin therefore became the Mother of God.
The Virgin therefore is a mother, because without male seed she brought forth the incarnate Word; in such a way however, that she retained her virginity because of the miraculous birth of him who willed it thus. She is mother of the Divine Word according to the substance of human nature, for he was made flesh in her, and appeared among us and was made one in her, in accordance with the wisdom and will of him who works marvels. ‘Of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ’, as Blessed Paul says.
For he was, as he now is, such as he will be and will remain; for our sake however he became man; the lover of men became man, what he had not been before; but he became man, at the same time remaining God without any change. He therefore became like me, for me; he became what he was not, retaining however what he had been. Finally he became man, that he might make our sufferings his own, and render us fit for adoption as sons, and grant us that kingdom, for which indeed may the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ make us worthy, to whom with the Father and the Holy Spirit is glory, honour and power, now and for ever and through unending ages. Amen.