“Mary, Grace-Filled and Faithful” by Colleen O’Sullivan

“Mary, Grace-Filled and Faithful” by Colleen O’Sullivan

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Palazzo Ducale in Venice: Corner relief of Adam and Eve (14th century), Creative Commons License, Wikimedia Commons

 

“You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”  The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me; she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”  The LORD God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?”  The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”  (Genesis 3:11b-13)

 

Fra Angelico, Annunciation, 1437-1446, Museum of San Marco, Creative Commons License, Wikimedia Commons

 

Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word.”  Then the angel departed from her.

(Luke 1:30-31, 38)

 

Piety

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

 

Here is a beautiful meditative setting of Ave Maria by Franz Biebl, sung by VOCES8

Study

Today’s first and Gospel readings juxtapose Adam and Eve’s explanation for their sin with Mary’s response to the announcement that God chose her to bear the Son.  It’s a bit like seeing the contrast between who we are and who we would like to be. 

It would be nice if we learned something about resisting temptation and falling into sin over time.  Alas, we are still covering ourselves with the proverbial fig leaves, thinking that if we neglect to mention our shortcomings and moral lapses, God won’t know about them.  We are foolishly deceiving ourselves, hoping against hope that, if we don’t bring it up, God won’t know the things we’ve done or left undone.

Of course, God does know, but still, we try to wiggle out of it by passing the buck.  Eve blames the snake in our first reading.  Adam blames Eve for leading him down the primrose path.  Why can’t we ever admit our sin, say we’re sorry, and ask God to forgive us? 

We are sinners like Adam and Eve, but what we long to be is receptive to God and faithful like Mary, who receives the shock of her life when, out of the blue, Gabriel appears before her.  She is perplexed by everything about the angel’s visit, from the words of his greeting to his announcement that she has found favor with God and will bear God’s Son.  Where we might brush this off as some hallucination, Mary takes the messenger’s words to heart.  She ponders their meaning.  Instead of brooding, many of us are oblivious to or afraid of things new and different.  We might react by brushing God off.

In the sermon that I listened to this past Sunday, the priest talked about preparing the way of the Lord.  He said that Mary is the ultimate way and that we are all called to be the way for others.  I am related to Adam and Eve in their sin, but how I pray that God will mold me into someone more Mary-like.  I want to be unquestioningly open to the movement of the Spirit in my life.  Therefore, I am more willing to respond whenever God calls me affirmatively. 

Action

On this day, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate Mary’s unique role in the mystery of our salvation.  The Church teaches us that God chose Mary to be the mother of his Son, and she conceived the Child without original sin.  Mary indeed played an integral part in the Word becoming Flesh.

Take a few moments today to reflect on Mary’s openness and receptiveness to God’s call.  Ask her to pray that you might respond with that same faith and willingness to whatever God is calling you to today.

 

IMAGE 1: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PalDogesDamEveSer_082005.jpg 

 

Image 2:

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ANGELICO,_Fra_Annunciation,_1437-46_(2236990916).jpg