Homily: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Feast of the Immaculate Conception (Genesis 3:9-15) “Is it Yes or No”
Mary is often called the new Eve. Why is that the case? We have a contrast between the first parents and the Blessed Virgin Mary painted for us in the scriptures today.
We read the story of the fall in the Book of Genesis. The first parents are told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But Eve and Adam disobey God. The two of them eat from the one tree they were told to avoid.
What do they come to see? The first parents come to see themselves as sinful. And they are filled with guilt and shame. Before their disobedience they were innocent before the Lord. The first parents had clear consciences. After they ate of the fruit, they were afraid to show themselves. God had to search the garden to find them. The two of them were hidden.
We would have to say that this story reflects our human experience. How often do we notice when someone is arrested for a crime that they hide their face if the news media is present? When children feel like they have done something wrong, quite often they will flee from their parents. Maybe they will lie about what they have done. We find it painful to admit when we do something wrong. When we do the immoral thing, we might blame others or make excuses. Adam and Eve exhibit all these behaviors after they eat of the fruit of the tree.
Once it was said that having an unsettled conscience is like being in a dark room in the middle of day with the drapes drawn trying to take a nap. If there is a hole in one of the drapes letting in a shaft of light that can disturb our sleep. We would think that a small ray of light would not be a big deal. But we probably will be agitated until we take care of that shaft of light. If we have a clear conscience, we greet people with open arms.
When the Angel Gabriel appears to the Blessed Virgin she does not run away, but she engages the angel. She is disturbed, not by the sight of the angel, but with being called full of grace. She is humble before the Lord. What we remember about Mary is that her whole life was about saying yes to God. She was a person who naturally did the right thing. We might have known people in our life who seem to always make good choices, who seem to be virtuous at their core, people who are graced. Mary was full of grace. She was closer to God than anyone who ever lived. How impressive that is.
But Mary would not want us to worship her. She would want us to imitate her. Can we always try to say yes rather than no to God? If we try, we will have the peace Mary exhibited in the Bible. We don’t need to be perfect. We just must commit to trying to please God in all things trusting in the mercy of the Lord. God has only one desire for us, that we return one day to our original goodness.
Reflection Questions:
- Am I comfortable praying right now? How do I feel about being intimate with the Lord?
- Is my life graced? What does that represent for me?
Dear Parishioners,
Last Sunday we had seven people in our RCIA program petition our parish community so that they might receive Easter Sacraments. These people have a variety of stories, and it is most heartening to see individuals during all the present turmoil in our society moved to seek to follow Christ in a more intimate way.
Other people are seeking marriage in the church, the baptism of their children and other sacraments. Maybe this is a hopeful sign for all of us. Let’s pray that our parish can be a oasis of grace for all those seeking meaning for their life.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark