Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Fr. LE Polansky
- 4 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 1 day ago
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1854 Pius IX made the infallible statement: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.” In today’s readings, we focus on the lives of two women and see how their choices have impacted our lives.
Entrance: Is 61:10 – “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul; for He has clothed me with a robe of salvation, and wrapped me in a mantle of justice, like a bride adorned with her jewels.”
First Reading: Gn 3:9-15, 20 – “I will put enmity between your offspring and hers.”
Psalm: Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4 – “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous deeds.”
Second Reading: Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 – “He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.”
Alleluia: Lk 1:28 – “Alleluia, alleluia. Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. Alleluia, alleluia.”
Gospel: Lk 1:26-38 – “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
Communion: “Glorious things are spoken of you, O Mary, for from you arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.”
To illustrate the difference between Eve and Mary, I want you to consider an ordinary glass filled with water. Now, we can put our fingers into the water and place a drop of the water into our hands. The makeup of that water is the same as any other drop of water ... H2O. It is no more water or less water than any other drop. Now if I were to put that drop of water into the ocean ... it would become part of the ocean ... it would become an integral part of the ocean. However, although it is part of the ocean and the ocean is part of it, the drop is NOT the ocean. So, in those terms, the difference between Eve and Mary is that Eve wanted to be the ocean. Mary was content to be the drop in the ocean.
Both Eve and Mary were created without original sin. In the beginning, when Adam and Eve were created, there is original goodness. In Genesis, we read that “God created man in His image; in the divine image He created him; male and female He created them” (Gen 1:27). After He finished creating them, “God looked at everything He had made, and He found it very good.” As Pope Pius IX explains, Mary was created without original sin from the moment of conception by a special grace in view of her role in God’s plan.
Eve wanted to be like God. Mary was content to be God’s servant. When you think about it, I believe the serpent ... the Devil caused Eve (and Adam) to think that God was being selfish by forbidding them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It got to the point where Eve was not content to just be the drop of water. She wanted to be the ocean. She saw God as selfish, wanting to keep special knowledge to Himself. She did not realize that God had set limits to protect her. Mary on the other hand knew that she was no more than a servant, a handmaid of God. His will was her command. When the angel Gabriel announced to her that she was to conceive through the power of the Holy Spirit and bear a son that would be called holy, the Son of God, Mary must have been confused ... puzzled. While she did not understand fully what was being asked, Mary did not rebel. She simply said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your Word.” Mary was content to be the drop of water.
So, in light of those observations about both women, Eve rebelled and Mary submitted. Eve gave in to temptation. In the story, Eve eats the forbidden fruit. She sins and then invites Adam to sin, too. Eve, by trying to be more like God and rejecting her rightful relationship with Him, was separated from God through sin. She became less and less “in His image.” And then we have Mary. Mary never went against God’s will. Mary, by embracing her humanness and knowing her place before God as servant, became more and more like God.
We are all born with original sin. We believe that, at baptism, original sin is eradicated. We believe that we then start off with a clean slate. At that point we have the same opportunity as Mary to make right choices throughout our lives. However, even after Baptism we are like Eve and Adam, we rebel. And that’s why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Second Reading makes it clear what God wants for us. “[H]e chose us in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him.” God not only gives us the way to eradicate original sin through baptism, but He also gives us the means of growing in holiness through the Sacraments and prayer.
Eve and the Virgin Mary were both created without original sin. Eve’s choice to be like God and Mary’s choice to be the servant of God have had profound impact on our lives. As Mary is the new Eve, so Jesus is the new Adam. What our first parents lost for us, Jesus regained. He stays in intimate contact with us through His gift of the Eucharist. In a short while, we will receive the living Christ in Communion. It is through Christ that we have become sons and daughters of the Father and heirs of the kingdom. With this in mind, let us approach the altar with humility and gratitude that we are that drop in the ocean.