Immaculate Conception is Possible, When Grace meets Gabriel!
Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38
For those of us who have experienced failure, those threatened by the reality of sin and weaknesses of all sorts, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception turns the meaning of failure into second and third chances. Every failure becomes a hope for a better tomorrow, a catalyst to get up everyday, dust oneself off, and get going. When life is seen as a chain of opportunities that present themselves as multiple seconds, minutes and days, then, we just don’t celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception alone, we also celebrate our own journey of faith, as Mary had her earthly journey.
The story of our first reading, “the Lord God called to the man and asked him, ‘Where are you?’” reminds us of the Divine origins of each one of us, the fact that we are loved, planned for and accompanied all through life by God. A God who comes to visit his creatures – as he did to Adam and Eve – to find out their whereabouts is a caring God. The dialogue between God and Adam, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” sets the template for every relationship, that no one lives alone and sets rules for oneself or determines how to live one’s life vis-à-vis God and one’s neighbors. Human beings are always and necessarily relational and must continue to navigate the contours of dialogue because of the presence of God and other human beings, and because of sin or disagreements. They must be like their Creator, who steps out to reach out in chaos and confusion to restore order out of disorder – every situation of sin and quarrel is an example of chaos and disorder. On his part, God keeps recreating his creatures – God’s approach to dialogue, through forgiveness and multiple offers of second chances, is to facilitate repentance and change for the better.
We often feel, deep within ourselves, the same temptation of Adam – to hide ourselves from God because we feel inadequate – “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself”. “Nakedness” that only God can cover, despite the human speed to go into hiding, and a hiding place that remains accessible to God, sees God taking the initiative to remedy human nudity – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” That is, God comes into our hiding places to bring us into light, because he loves and cares about us; not even sin, as long as we live upon earth, can separate us from God! Every failure is an occasion for recreation, the visit of God to every defaulter is remedy not punishment: the battle between good and evil, light and darkness, virtue and vice, can only be won with God, not by running away from God! Yes, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception reveals the everlasting love of God for human beings; even when we sinned, God planned an Immaculate Conception for Mary to make her worthy for the coming of God-Man, Jesus Christ, for the salvation of the world: what a God, what a love!
This is why chance and coincidence do not sit well with Christian beliefs, they negate the history and story that lay behind every human being, and the God who initiates the story, which human life is: “In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ” (Ephesians 1:5). This is the message of our second reading – God’s eternal plan for human salvation and redemption. Every story talks about beginnings and ends, and the human cooperation in it. Mary’s “Immaculate Conception” is God’s preparation for human salvation. Mary had to be conceived immaculately, so that the Son of God she was to bear will be immaculate – without any stain of sin. This is Mary’s destiny in God’s plan for human salvation.
We all have our destinies like Mary’s, but she achieved the goal of her Immaculate Conception through her Motherhood of the Son of God. You and I are still negotiating ours, in the vagaries of Adam’s hide and seek, because of our sins. Our emotions and desires toss us here and there. We sometimes lose hope in God and ourselves. The good news today is that all changes for the better, when grace meets Gabriel, the power of God, and the crucial importance of human cooperation with God’s plans!
There are no achievements except what we allow God to accomplish in us – that is the solemnity we celebrate today, that is the lesson we learn from God, through Mary. Gabriel – the strength-of-God – puts all the initiative on the side of God, but “grace” tells a story of the Immaculate Conception, that God’s gifts to us must be accepted in order for them to become graces: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word. Then the angel departed from her” (Luke 1:38). Mary accepted the gift of God to her to become the Mother of his Son, that made the Immaculate Conception possible! While Adam and Eve willingly ate of the tree they were forbidden to eat from, Mary willingly accepted the instruction of God via the angel Gabriel. On the one hand, Adam and Eve were punished for their disobedience, on the other hand, Mary received a confirmation of an immaculate birth of the Son of God in furtherance of her own Immaculate Conception/Birth. Mary’s Immaculate Conception is the fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation – “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” Mary fulfilled the purpose for her Immaculate Conception, but how do you and I plan to fulfill our own destinies, God’s plans for us?
Our destinies may be different from Mary’s; nonetheless, we do have our destinies too. Hers was realized through motherhood – “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus”. The power/strength of God (Gabriel) makes the point that with God all is possible (Luke 1:38). God does override human weaknesses and doubts – “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you” – if we remember to keep repeating the original “yes” everyday, the fiat (let it be done to me according to your word) of Mary. The non-realization of our destinies is not because those destinies are impossible, but because we refuse to trust in God and do our best to cooperate with God’s grace!
One common destiny we have with Mary, though, is eternal life that is offered to all: “In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:5). Indeed, the purpose of creation and redemption, the story of the Fall in Adam and Eve and the redemption foreshadowed in Mary’s Immaculate Conception and realized in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, tell the story of a planner-God, a redeemer-God, and a loving-God. Our destinies are built into our original “yes” to God, which is our cooperation with God’s graces, because Gabriel – the strength-of-God – is always available for he is always on-time and never misses to honor his appointment. Immaculate Conception remains the dialogue between us and God! Remember, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
Assignment for the Day:
Verify the date of your baptism and cross check the promises your made to God – your original “yes” – whether you’re still faithful to those promises.