Readings
I - Gen. 3: 9-15, 20
II - Eph. 1: 3-6, 11-12
III - Lk. 1: 26-38
THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (Solemnity)
God chose Mary for the great purpose of the fulfillment of the His redemptive plan for the earth:
To save the world from sin and death due to the deliberate disobedience of Adam and Eve: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head and you will strike his heel”.
To make us holy and blameless as worthy children of God.
And this is why Mary was predestined to be holy and immaculate to become the mother of the Son of God.
The single takeaway that can be drawn from the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the three readings of the day is: Obedience - Submission and surrender to the will of God. Only obedience can help us stand holy and blameless as worthy children of God and this is the purpose and plan that God has for each of us. Adam and Eve disobeyed God and yielded to the evil one incurring sin and death. The New Eve Mary through her obedience and submission to the will of God: “Behold the hand maid of the Lord…”brought forth the New Adam and along with him, the redemption and the new world order in him.
We are the children of our Blessed Mother. She is our model and guide. May this her feast inspire us to imitate this dazzling trait of our Blessed Mother: the Obedience, to behold the Lord with a blameless heart, surrendering ourselves unto His will for each of us. Do not be carried away by the funky lifestyle of the false world around, like Eve of the Garden of Eden but conquer courageously like our Mother Mary, the New Eve in obedience and submission to the will of God. May our mind and heart resonate with the prayer: “Mother Mary ever virgin, help me to save my soul”.
