RBWords

[Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38]

     "Hail, full of grace!  The Lord is with you......Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God." [Luke]

     Those words, which changed the life of a young Palestinian Jewish girl in a dramatic way, are part of the theological/scriptural roots of our belief that Mary herself was conceived without the ancient alienation from God we call "original sin."  To become the Mother of God, she had to be especially prepared by God.  While this truth about Mary was strongly debated by Church theologians over the centuries for various reasons it was , Pope Pius IX who decided to conduct an international survey and after finding this belief to be nearly universal in the church by the 19th century, he declared it formally to be a part of our faith in 1854 and set December 8th as the day to celebrate this truth.  The American bishops made Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, patroness of the United States, and made this day a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics in the USA.

     My own pastoral experience in recent years has been that this feast day is rapidly being eclipsed by the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on or around December 12th.  The churches at which I have been preaching have sparse attendance on December 8, but are quite full on December 12th.  I think this reflects the tremendous demographic influence of our Hispanic brothers and sisters who have, like so many others in American history, come to this country to live.  Their strong Marian devotion is a reminder to us of the living Catholic traditions about Mary.  The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe seems more "pastoral" and lively, which captures the attention of many more people who love a fiesta!  Either way, it is an opportunity to reflect on the importance of this one woman who gave life to the Son of God in our midst.  Her role and his birth are central to our Advent and Christmas Seasons.  AMEN