May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
The season of Advent is a time of preparation and a time of anticipation. We are preparing to welcome Jesus Christ and
we celebrate this season in anticipation of his birth. Today, we celebrate the feast of the
Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a feast of preparation and a feast of
anticipation.
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
celebrates the day that Mary was conceived in the womb of St. Ann. Today is not a celebration of the day when
the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived the Lord Jesus. We celebrate that event on the feast of the
Annunciation on the 25th of March, some nine months before Christmas Day. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin Mary celebrates that Mary was conceived without original sin. From the first moment of her conception, from
the moment when her life began, the Blessed Virgin Mary belonged entirely to
God.
The grace of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary is a grace of preparation. From the
first moment of her life, when she can do nothing for herself, it is the grace
of God that saves her. The work of
salvation and the work of sanctification always begin with the action of
God. In the Immaculate Conception, the
Blessed Virgin Mary is prepared to be the mother of the messiah. She is given the grace to be able to give
herself completely to the will of the Lord.
It is the grace of her Immaculate Conception the enables her to respond
to the words of the Archangel Gabriel: “Let it be done unto me according to
your word.” The Blessed Virgin Mary is
prepared by her Immaculate Conception to be the first tabernacle of the Lord
Jesus.
The grace of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary is a grace given in anticipation.
This special grace is given to Mary in anticipation of the redemptive
work of her Son, in whom alone and through whom alone is the salvation of the
world. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the
first to receive the grace that will be won on the cross of Calvary. Mary receives this grace in anticipation of
the glory that will be revealed.
We celebrate the mighty work of Almighty God in this time of
preparation and this time of anticipation.
We join with all creation and with every generation and name Mary as one
who is blessed. As we celebrate the
Eucharist today, we give praise to the God of Heaven above who claimed Blessed
Mary at her conception, for He claimed us in our baptism. We ask the Lord for the grace to prepare,
with Mary, to receive the gift of the Lord Jesus, at Christmas. And we await, in joyful
anticipation, for the glory that will be revealed.
Preached at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
