THERE ARE MANY THINGS THAT CHRIST has
spoken to us and Christ told us that if we can’t believe what he tells us about
this world neither can we believe if he tells us about those things that are in
heaven. The solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception is one of the dogmas of faith proclaimed by the Church. God has confirmed this by miracles and
signs. Some of these are the Miraculous
Medal of St. Catherine Laboure, the Virgin of Lourdes through St. Bernadette
Soubirou and the Lady of Fatima in Portugal through the little Children. Interesting to note that in these Marian
apparitions, Mary appeared to simple and humble women and children. Wanting to show to us that the Power of God
is made more manifest when He does His will through the instrumentation of humble
individuals and not through the proud.
St. Bernadette was an ordinary and ignorant daughter of a peasant, she
suffered in life being born into a poor family, she never received kind
treatment from her superior when she entered the convent. But Mary promised her that she will not have
happiness in this world but in the world to come. The same also with Catherine Laboure a simple
member of the daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. The Children of Fatima died young except for
one.
IN LAYMAN’S term it can be said the
dogma of the Immaculate conception teaches us that Mary, being the Theotokus or
"God-Bearer" or the Mother of God was conceived free from original
sin we inherited from Adam and Eve. By a
singular grace from God all the merits of Calvary were applied to her so that
she would be exempted from original sin because she was about to bear in her
womb the holy Son of God, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word. Throughout her life, even if not
comprehending the designs of the Almighty, Mary obeyed God. She was humble and submitted herself totally
to God's Will without preconditions.
This singular privilege of grace was proclaimed by the Angel Gabriel
when he greeted her, "Hail Full of Grace, the Lord is with you!"
MARY was never a preacher; the gospel
narratives about her in the Scriptures were short, but full of force and
enigma. Christ performed his first
miracle in Cana at the command of Mary.
While both of them were at a wedding feast, the Virgin Mary told Jesus,
"they don't have wine anymore", wherein Jesus replied, "Woman,
it is not yet my time!" Then Mary turned to the servants and bid them
thus: "Do as they tell you!” Then
Jesus commanded the servants to fill the jars with water and thereupon he
turned the water into wine. The wedding
guests scolded the groom for hiding the best wine, for they said, the best wine
is served first and that when the guests have already filled themselves, it is
the time to serve the worst kind of wine.
But in this case the best wine was served last.
IN THE PUBLIC life of Jesus Mary was
there…she listened to the Word of God.
In her silence she took note of God’s Word and hid them in her
heart. In Calvary and in the passion of
Christ Mary was there. Just as prophesied
by the Prophet Simeon, nine sorrows as if they were arrows were buried in her
heart. But she as the follower of Christ
was also glorified. Thus in the glorious
mysteries we proclaimed the crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of
Heaven and Earth. Here she becomes the
icon of the triumphant Church, the image and sacrament of that hope by which
the church is destined to achieve. Thus
with faith we invoke the prayer, “O Mary conceived without sin pray for us who
have recourse to thee!”
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