Original justice of the Immaculata

I came across this quote from a friend on Facebook, and to be honest it blew my mind as I have never thought of it that way before.

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz (1695), a Mexican nun and a poet, dramatist, and spiritual writer, wrote this:

The Mystery of the Immaculate Conception

God finished his creations ad extra and perfected them when he formed humans in his likeness as rulers over the entire world.  The creatures created on this day (the animals of the earth and humans) rendered obedience to the one who the Lord predestined and distinguished as Mother of his Son as an act of justice rather than grace.

When Adam was created in original justice and grace, it was his nature to be ruler over all that was created on the earth, and so all the lesser creatures rendered him obedience. When he sinned and transgressed against God he was rejected by his inferiors.  The elements and the rest of the creatures rebelled against him.  Therefore, if Mary most holy was preserved from this original poison, in justice she would be owed all the privileges due her because of being conceived in grace.  Therefore, as a matter of original justice all creatures would be subject to her, because she did not participate in that sin which caused their rebellion against Adam and all of his children.

This benefit is not to be considered as a new gift but a manifestation of the benefit that her Son and our Lord gave to her by preserving her from Original Sin.  And all the homage rendered her by the creatures of the earth resulted from the grace of her conception, like the grace of the original creation of Adam, and is a testimony to her being immaculately conceived.  She alone was the one in whom the image and likeness of God, erased by the sin of our first father, the perfection of all the universe, was restored.  Holy Scripture calls Adam the perfection and ornament of all creation either because the final creature is the crown of the entire work or because the rest of the creatures were created for his sake.  All the other creatures were left imperfect through the sin of Adam.  Divine Omnipotence is to be credited not only with restoring human nature, by redeeming it, but by making use of human nature, by predestining and preserving in his eternal mind a pure creature adorned with sanctifying grace from the first instant of her being.  Through her the image and likeness of God was restored, perfecting the rest of his work and restoring it to its rightful order.

For this reason it is not only human beings who are in Mary's debt but all the other creatures as well because she gives them perfection and nobility.  They all owe her their service for this, if for no other reason.  On this day, therefore, all the brute beasts render her obedience.