Behind all the different themes, everything I have been “musing” about these past couple of months seem to be about the same thing: becoming holy so we can be as close to God as possible. Embracing the Cross, living out mercy, facing each day with “new eagerness,” being present in today, striving to be thankful, and remembering that intimacy with the Lord is what our hearts truly long for — all these things are simply attitudes that keep us focused and bring us nearer to our goal of union with our Creator.
And so now we come to December 8th, which is a special day around here. One reason I love December 8th is because it’s the day my father was born — Happy Birthday, Dad! That makes it a great day for sure. But from long before my Dad was born, the great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception has been celebrated on this day. I have always loved Marian feast days, but reflecting on the mystery of our Lady’s conception, I struggled with finding something new to say about it, something different that would be relevant right now. Sure, it’s an amazing truth that we believe because the Church says it is so, but what meaning does it have in my life? How can this seemingly impersonal dogma really help me personally in my day-to-day?
I found the answer in our Holy Father’s Angelus address on this day in 2013:
“The mystery of this girl from Nazareth, who is in the heart of God, is not estranged from us. She is not there and we over here. No, we are connected. Indeed, God rests his loving gaze on every man and every woman! By name and surname. His gaze of love is on every one of us. The Apostle Paul states that God ‘chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him’ (Eph 1:4). We too, from all time, were chosen by God to live a holy life, free of sin. It is a plan of love that God renews every time we come to him, especially through the Sacraments.”[1]
The Lord is not the only one who wants to be present in our daily lives. Mary, too, wants to be a familiar face, one of our closest friends, someone we turn to for counsel, comfort, encouragement, and strength. As the Pope says, she is not some distant figure, she is one of us; a real person with free will, only without the stain of original sin. And the grace with which the Lord saved her, making her “full of grace,” is the same grace that He wants to give to each of us.
The Immaculate Conception can become personal and make a real difference in our lives if we remember this connection. Mary is the first to truly show us how to respond to and accept the grace God holds out to us at every moment. The Holy Father tells us that by reflecting on her we will be led to our ultimate goal:
“On this Solemnity, then, by contemplating
our beautiful Immaculate Mother, let
us also recognize our truest destiny,
our deepest vocation: to be loved, to be transformed by love, to be
transformed by the beauty of God.”[2]
As our Mother, Mary’s job is to keep us in her heart so that we will dwell together with her in the heart of God where she forever rests. And isn’t this what we all want? To be loved, to be at peace, to rest in the stillness?
On this beautiful solemnity, as we enter into this second week of Advent, I invite you to take some quiet moments to really connect with Mary — your Mother and mine. Let’s get away from the bustling, the noise, the world outside, and run to her heart to recharge, letting her mother us as we wait expectantly for the coming of Jesus.
“Let us look to her, our Mother, and allow her to look upon us, for she is our mother and she loves us so much; let us allow ourselves to be watched over by her so that we may learn how to be more humble, and also more courageous in following the Word of God; to welcome the tender embrace of her Son Jesus, an embrace that gives us life, hope and peace.”[3]
[1] Pope Francis, Angelus Address of December 8, 2013.
Read the full Address here.
Watch part of the Address here.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
