Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. [In fact, in the Eastern Churches this feast is called the Conception of Mary in the Womb of St. Anne and is celebrated on December 9.]
This feast is a very important piece in the fabric of salvation history: the one chosen by God to be the Mother of his Son would be free from Original Sin, so to be a fit environment for him to grow in from the first moment of his conception in her womb. It all has to do with FRIENDSHIP. Original sin destroyed the FRIENDSHIP between God and mankind; Jesus was to restore the FRIENDSHIP; it is only fitting that his mother be already in a restored state of FRIENDSHIP with God and not his "enemy" as she carried, delivered and cared for her son and his! Mary then, had the "singular grace and privilege…in view of the merits of Jesus Christ" (her Son!) to always be a FRIEND OF GOD. And why could this not be this way? God can arrange anything to be the way he wants it! But let it be clear too that this "singular, graced" relationship with God in no way took away Mary's freedom in regard to deciding whether she would accept the role of Mother of God: heaven and earth did stand still and held its breath when the angel Gabriel posed the invitation from God to her – and they all waited for her free-will reply! But since FRIENDS ALWAYS HELP OUT FRIENDS, Mary, of course, said: YES! Surely I will do it! I will be the Mother of God's Son!
Pope Pius IX on December 8 1854, in a papal statement entitled: "Ineffable God" – declared the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary to be a matter of faith and belief for the entire Church. It was four years later that Mary appeared to Bernadette Soubrious at Lourdes declaring: "I am the Immaculate Conception!"
A primary scriptural reference to Mary's Immaculate Conception is found in just two lines from the gospel passage today: [And coming to her, the angel Gabriel said: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you!" That says it all! God has a secret name for each of us. Mary's was "full of grace!" God was always "with her!" She was a quintessential "FRIEND of God," always. Of course, she would be willing to do what God asked of her, even to be the mother of his Son.
We thank God today for sharing his FRIENDSHIP with us in a redemptive sort of way beginning with a young maiden of Nazareth named Mary! We pray that we who share in the merits of JESUS and are redeemed FRIENDS of God – may preserve that FRIENDSHIP by prayer, by the reception of Holy Communion, by loving service to brothers and sisters (to FRIENDS of all sorts and degrees that God puts in our path!).
It is quite obvious too that with the descriptions of the beginnings of the lives of both Mary and Jesus in their mothers' wombs that human life begins at the moment of conception: and what is instantly there is our FRIEND and a FRIEND of God as well! The new human being, from the first moment of its existence, needs all of the respect and love and care that we can give it both before it is born and then throughout its life afterwards. FRIENDS ARE FOR LIFE!
Sing to the Lord a new song; for he has done marvelous deeds!
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