The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
First Reading - Genesis 3:9-15,20
Second Reading - 1:3-12
Gospel - Luke 1:26-38
The first reading narrates the story of the fall of Adam and Eve, our first parents. The point is not the fall but the promise of hope by God despite the failure of human beings. God gives hope to humanity that someone is going to crush the head of the serpent, which represents evil. Though the Vulgate Bible of St. Jerome translates it as the woman who would crush the head of the serpent, the original Hebrew scripture mentions the offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent. Whatever the translation, it is a fact that Mary, through her spotless life, indeed crushed the head of the serpent, and Christ, by His passion, death, resurrection, and ascension, vanquished the reign of Satan.
The gospel of the day confirms that Mary is immaculate when the angel salutes Mary as “full of grace.” This greeting means that she was never, even for a moment, a slave of sin and the devil. In the words of Lumen Gentium (56), Mary was “filled with an entirely unique holiness.”
The Immaculate Conception of Mary had a purpose: to “bring everything under Christ as head.” Christ is the Wisdom of God, the plan according to which and through which all things were created. Christ is also the completion of creation, and the unity of all things in Christ is a special emphasis of the letter in the second reading. All things are under Christ as the head of creation, as nourishment for creation, and as guidance for creation. These are the functions a head performs for a body, which Christ performs for creation. The Immaculate Conception of Mary was the beginning of the completion of this plan. It was fitting and necessary that the mother who would form and shape the Son of God should be totally without blemish, a shining example of faultless motherhood, and a perfect role model for her Son. The aspect of conception in the womb of her mother is only a symbol of the totality of Mary’s goodness.
My dear friends, this great feast reminds us that the saving plan of God, as promised by God, takes its complete shape in Jesus, who sums up everything. Mother Mary cooperates with the saving plan of God by her "yes." That is why the gift of salvation is made possible for all in Jesus. The gift of salvation is made available to all, but what is required is that people cooperate with the saving plan of God just as Mary cooperated with God to bring Christ among us in person. When we cooperate with the saving plan of God, we make Christ present to all by our life-example.
This feast also reminds us that Christ cannot find a place in us unless sin is avoided in our lives. God chose Mary, who was spotless and far from the bondage of sin. Christ wants to reside in us, provided sin is thrown away from our lives.
May God continue to bless and strengthen us to be pure in heart, mind, and soul.
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