Word to the Wise
Saturday, December 8, 2018 - Dec. 8 - The Immaculate Conception the Blessed Virgin Mary
[Gen 3:9-15, 20; Eph 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him......In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. [Ephesians]
The celebration of the feast of the Immaculate Conception is a reminder to us of the special role that ordinary human beings played (and continue to play) in bringing about God's plan of salvation. In this particular celebration the focus is on Mary, the mother of Jesus, and highlights God's choice of her from the very beginning of her life to be the mother of God's son. The words from the Letter to the Ephesians point out that God's power is greater than any other. Mary's exemption from the "stain" of original sin is the result of centuries of reflection on God's power working through humans. The gospel scripture today from the Gospel According to Luke makes the Holy Spirit the agent of accomplishing Jesus' conception. Therefore, Mary had to be of very special worthiness for this from the moment of her own conception.
The first scripture from Genesis, which speaks to the "original sin" of Adam and Eve was used by some early Church Fathers to speak of Mary as a "New Eve," restoring the world through her own consent to God's plan. After centuries of debate among theologians, Pope Pius IX declared this belief about Mary's conception to be a dogma. The American bishops declared Mary, under the title of "The Immaculate Conception" to be the special patroness of our country. This is why this particular feast remains a "holy day of obligation" for Catholics in this country (even if it falls on Saturday or Monday!).
Placing this feast in the broader context of promise and fulfillment in Advent gives the celebration a better and richer meaning. AMEN