I remember one morning several months back when I saw Joy, my wife, was having a very busy day at home. Of course with many children, every day was hectic. On this particular day, however, she was having trouble doing even routine chores - all because of our 5 year old Joseph. Joseph who has two other young siblings curiously was clinging to Joy that particular morning and was on his mother’s heels no matter where she went. Whenever she stopped to do something and turned back around, she would trip over him. Several times, she patiently suggested fun activities to keep him occupied. “Wouldn’t you like to play outside?” she would ask. But he simply smiled an innocent smile and said, “That’s all right, Mommy. I’d rather be in here with you.” Then he continued to bounce happily along behind her. After stepping on his toes for the fifth time, I heard Joy lose her patience and insisted that he go outside and play with his other siblings. When she asked Joseph why he was acting this way, he looked up at her and said, “Well, Mommy, in scripture class in school my teacher told me to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. But I can’t see Him, so I’m walking in yours.”
“The angel said to (Mary), ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God.’” Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is perhaps one of the more misunderstood feast days in the Church. When we regularly refer to the “Immaculate Conception” many people will explain that this feast is about the fact that Jesus was conceived without sin. Of course, this is not a feast of Jesus, but of the Blessed Mother. It celebrates the fact that Mary, not Jesus, was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother Anne.
So, why is this day so important to us in the Church? Quite simply, it reminds us of what our faith is all about; what the goal of our believing leads us to. A few years back, when our then-8 year old son Lorenz was having his First Reconciliation back in his old school at St Gertrude, I asked him if he was nervous about making his first confession. He said he is a bit worried he would forget what to say but he is also excited. And so I asked him why is he excited about making his first confession. He said boldly and proudly, “Because today, Dad, I get to be sin free.” I get to be sin free. Isn’t that the most wonderful statement!
But, this is exactly what Mary reminds us about today. She reminds us that we all have been invited to be sin-free. Another word for sin-free is holy. We are all called to be holy people; to eliminate those things that distance us from God; to be united with Him. We do this by trying to overcome the sin in our life every day. And, if you're thinking, “I can't do that. That's too difficult,” you're right! We can't be sin-free on our own. And it was the same for Mary. Her sinlessness is not something that she achieved by her own power or merit. Rather, it was a gift from God given to her at the very moment of her conception in the womb of her mother Anne.
That's a good reminder for all of us today. When we are without sin, in a state of grace, or when we are doing better on our road to holiness, it is not an achievement of our own greatness and power - it too is a gift from God. We can overcome our sin - with God's help; and only with God's help. We would do well to be like my son Joseph and follow in the footsteps of our Blessed Mother striving to follow the example of Christ, so perfectly exemplified in her life.
Belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary is belief in a provident God - a God who provides for the future, who prepares His children for their assigned task in life even before they are born, a God who foresees and equips us with all the natural and supernatural qualities we need to play our assigned role in the drama of human salvation. God does not just throw us into this worldwide wilderness and then leave us to fight it out among ourselves.
Let us today be inspired by the loving Providence of our God and by the example of Mary; let us follow in her footsteps. Let us strive to live a life worthy of the same angelic message that was given to Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you have found favour with God.
Our special prayer today as we celebrate Blessed Mother’s Immaculate Conception is for her to touch and comfort our brothers and sisters in the community who are besieged with physical oppressions due to their illnesses (in particular, sis Rose Perez, sis Baves Ventura and sis Ambay Maquinad). And that God’s providence and healing power would find favour in them.
To wrap up this post on this, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, how about some verse that’s a bit more secular. The official story of this “prayer” is that Paul McCartney wrote it about his mom. Let this be our prayer, too to our Blessed mother in the midst of our trials and tribulations.
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
And in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be…
And when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be…
And when the night is cloudy there is still a light that shines on me
Shine until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be…
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be…
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