May the light of Christ fill your hearts and minds!
The Church celebrates the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of joy-filled hope for all people! Mary was conceived without sin! This reverses the fall of Eve. Mary is the New Eve born free from sin and Christ is the New Adam! We remember both of these events at this time of year so as to really understand and enter into the full meaning and joy of Mary’s “yes” to God’s plan of salvation and the birth of Jesus Our Savior!
The first reading from Genesis recalls the sin of Adam and Eve and the results of sin: shame, guilt, disharmony, enmity, and the various forms and degrees of disorder that bring darkness and corruption into the world. This original sin of not listening to God, took away the true original freedom from all human nature.
Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is a hymn expressing joy, gratitude, and hope for our salvation that we have in Jesus. Although our human nature is still impeded and burdened by sin, in Jesus we find freedom from the darkness of sin! We recognize this freedom as God’s plan for us from the beginning of time!
True freedom means being unimpeded and completely open to God’s Word and completely willing to follow God’s plan!
Mary had to give a response when the Angel Gabriel came and revealed God’s word to her. We see from her disposition and response that she was somewhat surprised at the encounter with the angel and that she didn’t fully understand what was going to happen. We also see that she did demonstrate complete openness and total freedom when she recognized that it was truly God’s word and God’s plan! When Mary declared herself “the handmaid of the Lord,” she defeated human pride, selfishness and anything that could ever impede the true freedom that God wants us to have. Mary’s “yes” embraced God’s plan to save human nature by uniting it with God in Jesus who is human and divine.
There were times of sorrow and struggle for Mary but she said “yes” at every moment. We are invited to be with Mary, to say “yes” when we discern God’s desires for us, desire for our freedom from sin and the sadness and burdens that take away our joy. One of Mary’s titles in her Litany is “Cause of Our Joy.” Mary shows the way that we can have the joy of salvation when we say “yes” to God by our words and actions in the little things we do each day in the home, at work, at school and everywhere. Let everyone bless God by the goodness and joy they see in you! +++ Fr. Peter