The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is one of my favorite
solemnities (I think I say that for every one, but I really mean it this time!)
I used to see this great privilege as something that separated Mary from us:
she’s pure, sinless, and immaculate and we’re not. But if we look deeper, we discover that we
are closer to Mary than we realize and her Immaculate Conception gives us great
hope.
Mary's preservation from original sin was a unique
privilege. No other non-divine human being
in history received such a grace.
However, she couldn't have done anything to merit it since it took place
at the very moment she came into being.
Like us, she could not even have
willed to be conceived, let alone to
be immaculately conceived. This is infant baptism taken to the
extreme! Babies are cleansed of original
sin through a baptism of which they are not even aware, much less able to
merit. But Our Lady was entirely preserved from original sin at
the very moment that she came into existence, before she was anything more than
a single cell; before she had ears to hear the Word of God or a tongue to
profess it. In a sense, she is more
saved than a wretched sinner who repents, because Christ saved her from falling
into the pit of sin in the first place. What a grace!
The fact that this was a total gift gives us hope because He who
preserved the Immaculate Virgin can save us from our sins. Grace, even the
greatest grace of being the immaculate mother of God, is not earned or merited.
It comes from the overflowing, overwhelming love of God! We must, of course,
cooperate with this gift, as she did throughout her whole life. But the gift
itself is freely given, and that is great cause for rejoicing! Thus, we can say
with Mary: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord! My spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for He
has looked with favor on His lowly servant...The Almighty has done great things
for me and Holy is His name!” (Luke 1:46-49)
“O sweetest Virgin
Mary, most pure daughter of the Father, most perfect mother of the Son, most
chaste spouse of the Spirit, you are more saved than the greatest sinner: for
you were saved before you sinned, you were raised up before you fell, you were
healed before you were wounded, you were transformed before you were
disfigured, you were raised to life before you suffered death. Pray for us,
that we may receive as you did the great things that the Almighty wants to do
for us.”
+ Br. Ignatius Pio
Mariae, CFR
Bronx, NY
----------------------------------------------
We need your help!
No comments:
Post a Comment