Even
though today’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception is designated a holy
day of obligation, even though it goes back to a belief developed in the early
Church, some faithful Catholics today would have a difficult time explaining
what this solemnity is all about. When
many of us hear the phrase “immaculate conception” in the midst of the Advent
season as we are preparing the arrival of Christ into the world at
Christmastime, we might think that this celebration is all about how Jesus was
conceived in Mary’s womb miraculously and without sin. This
is even more true when we hear the Gospel reading of the Annunciation from Luke
today. Yet,
today’s celebration is all about how Mary herself was conceived in her mother’s
womb without sin.
During
the Advent season, we are on a journey of hope and joy as we prepare a place
for the Lord in the our heart. Different prophets and signposts help us on that journey. The
Immaculate Conception is one of those signs, as our focus in the Gospel today
is on the motherhood of Mary. As a
priest, I cannot state too many times how important it is for us to remember
that we don’t honor Mary for her own sake. Rather, Mary always points us in the direction of her Son. She always is there to help us increase our
faith in him, to develop our relationship with him.
Today’s
solemnity of the Immaculate Conception honors Mary’s unique role in the history
of salvation, for the redemption that is accomplished through the Son of God. In
today’s Gospel, the Angel of the Lord greets Mary with these simple words:
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” We
pray these very words again and again each time we pray the rosary. Through
our understanding that Mary herself was conceived without sin, through the
dogma of the Immaculate Conception that was declared by Pope Pius IX in 1854,
we are able to understand that even before the actual conception of our Savior
Jesus Christ in his mother Mary’s womb, Mary is proclaimed full of grace by our
Lord.
Mary
cooperated with God and she accepted His will in her life, even though the
words the Angel spoke were very troubling to her at first. She
could have rejected the message brought by the angel. She
could have followed her own will and her own desires. By
Mary saying yes to God and becoming a handmaid of the Lord, Jesus as the Word
of God was made incarnate and brought into the world. Mary
submits herself to God’s will even though she doesn’t fully understand how this
can be happening to her.
In
the letter to the Ephesians, Paul calls us to live a life of holiness, to live
in a way that praises and glorifies God. Mary
as truly the first disciple is a great model for us in how we should live a
life of holiness, in how we ourselves should live as disciples of Christ. Mary does not run away from God in fear –
she doesn’t look for a quick fix that would make her life easier and more full
of earthly pleasures. She
submits herself to God, choosing to do his will and to look at the blessings
that God has given her in her life. Mary
chooses to give God thanks and praise.
Today, we honor Mary as our Mother in our celebration of the Immaculate
Conception. As we
strive to grow in our life of discipleship during this holy season of Advent,
may we pray for ourselves and for our brothers and sisters, that we may all
grow in our devotion to Mary and in our love for her.
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