Saturday, December 8, 2012

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary


After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to the man and asked him, "Where are you?"
He answered, "I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself."
Then he asked, "Who told you that you were naked?”
The story of Eden is about the loss of innocence, and nothing describes that loss so well as Adam’s lame explanation, “I was afraid because I was naked.” Human beings are born naked. The vulnerability of moist pink skin and tightly shut eyes is our charm. Can any human being resist the appeal of such a creature? It’s enough to melt the heart of a beast.
When Adam and Eve hide from God we know something is dreadfully wrong; they have lost their innocence. And so we are all the happier when Mary replies with utter simplicity to the Angel Gabriel, “I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me as you have said.” Hearing her reply and knowing the majesty, authority and generosity of God’s gift to her, we cannot help but believe she was Immaculately Conceived. There was in her no stain of sin.
This is, of course, God’s gift to her. But she also earned this grace by retaining it. No one gets a free ride through this life and Mary certainly knew her own share of suffering. When we first meet her we hear that she was troubled and wondered what the greeting meant. Later she will flee from Bethlehem and Herod’s soldiers. She will reside in exile, as millions of people do today, and return to live underground, at a discreet distance from Bethlehem. Finally she will watch her son suffer and die for reasons only faith can explain. Through it all Mary kept her faith in God, waiting and watching as the mysterious plan of salvation worked itself out. Only a deep and solid faith in God’s just mercy could sustain during her darkest hours.
Nor do I imagine Mary passively standing at the foot of the cross and waiting for all this to be over. Rather, I see her saying to Jesus, “I believe in you, Son. I do not know why this is necessary but I believe it is. I give you to God with all the ferocious energy of Abraham as he prepared to sacrifice Isaac. May God show his mercy to you and to me!”
By retaining her trust in God, her confidence in her Son, and her openness to the unpredictable winds of the Holy Spirit, Mary proved she was worthy of the grace of Immaculate Conception. She is like the two servants in Saint Luke’s gospel (19:11-28) who won the right to govern ten and five cities respectively, because they were “faithful in a very small matter.”
Though none of us can make Mary’s claim to purity, we strive each day to retain the virtue God has given us. On the day of judgment we will feel no urgent need to hide. Like the munchkins in the Land of Oz, we'll come dancing out of our hiding places to display our innocence to the Lord our Savior.

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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.

Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.

I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.

You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.