Sin contaminates everything it touches. The sin committed by Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority and preeminence. Their sin continued when Adam blamed Eve, accusing her of giving him the forbidden fruit, and when Even says that the serpent tricked her into eating the fruit.
Jesus died and rose again for our sins. Yet, sin and temptation continue to play a role in our lives as human beings. Mary is the exception to this cycle of sin. When she receives the message from the angel, she thinks not of herself, but of God’s will and authority. She cannot imagine she is with child, having not yet been with a man. She accepts God’s answer, as incredulous as it seems. She will do God’s will in humility and obedience.
As we reflect upon Mary today in the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Mary herself being conceived without sin, we may reflect upon the sacrament of baptism in our own lives. Through the new life we receive at baptism, Christ frees us from sin so that our lives might live in a way that gives God honor and praise. In Mary’s case, she was without sin from the very beginning. She is able to tell the angel in response to his message, “May it be done to me according to your word.”
We celebrate Mary today in the feast of the Immaculate Conception during this second week of the Advent season. Later this week, we will honor Mary on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12. While Eve was the first woman in the story of creation, Mary is the new Eve in the new life the world receives in Christ. Mary was preserved from Original Sin by a unique gift from God even before she was born. May we put our humble trust in God just as Mary did.
No comments:
Post a Comment