Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Dec. 8): Homily by Fr Isaac Chima
Theme: Nothing is impossible to God
Dear Friends, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception teaches us that the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother, was conceived without original sin, that God preserved her from sin right from the womb of her mother, that she was full of grace, as the Angel Gabriel said at the Annunciation, right from the womb of her mother. But how possible was that? Brothers and sisters, it was possible because nothing is impossible to our God (Lk 1:37; Phil. 4:13).
As we all know, because of the fall of Adam and Eve, all human beings are born in the state of original sin. But this solemnity teaches us that because of the task which God had chosen for Mary, the task of becoming the mother of His only Son, God preserved her from the stain of original sin right from the womb of her mother, Anne, since the path which the Son of God must walk on to enter the world cannot be corrupted by sin.
From the earliest times, the Church expressed and developed the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin, but it was in 1854 that Pope Pius IX gave it a final definition and proclaimed it a dogma of faith, that is, a divinely revealed truth whose denial is a heresy.
In his Papal Bull, Ineffabilis Deus, of 1854, Pope Pius IX stated clearly that Mary, through God’s grace, was conceived free from the stain of original sin because of her role as the Mother of God. He said: “We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and, therefore, to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.”
The Immaculate Conception is one of the four dogmas of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the church. The other three Marian dogmas are: Mary the mother of God, the perpetual virginity of Mary and the Assumption of Mary. We thank God for the choice of Mary as the mother of His Son, Jesus Christ, and our mother too.
Though the teaching of the Immaculate Conception cannot be explicitly seen in the Bible, the confirmation of its veracity came few years after its declaration as a dogma from the visions of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. In the Marian apparitions Saint Bernadette had between February and July 1858, Mary revealed herself to her as “the Immaculate Conception.”
Scripturally, as we all know, and as seen in the gospel of today, the Angel Gabriel greeted Mary: Hail, full of grace (Lk 1:28). Dear friends in Christ, anyone who is full of grace cannot be a partaker in sin. The Greek word used by St. Luke here even made it clearer. The particular word Luke used to describe Mary as “full of grace” (κεχαριτωμένη — kecharitōmenē) means that Mary was full of grace all her life (This is signified by κεχαριτωμένη kecharitōmenē being a perfect passive particle). It means that Mary was full of grace not just at the moment the angel came to her but that she was full of grace since the beginning of her life. Luke could have used a different word to show that Mary was full of grace only at that particular moment as when he described Stephen as “full of grace” (πλήρης χάριτος — plēres charitos) only for a moment in Acts 6:8 before he was stoned to death. But Luke insists that Mary was full of grace all her life.
Another scriptural link to the Immaculate Conception comes from the reference to Mary as the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark of the Covenant was a box made to house the two tablets of stone containing the word of God (Exodus 25:16). So, just as the Ark housed the word of God, Mary housed Jesus, the word of God, in her womb. In the Old Testament, those who were called to carry the Ark of the Covenant could not be sinners, because the ark was considered so holy since it housed the word of God. In the same manner, Mary, who is the new Ark of the Covenant, could not be touched by sin. It makes perfect sense that God would specially prepare Mary in holiness to be fitting mother of Jesus, his Son.
Dear friends, the life of Mary, as we read in the gospel of today, has wonderful lessons for us as we celebrate her today. As we know, God’s plan was not forced on Mary. It was rather her free positive response to God’s initiative that opened the door to the fulfilment of God’s plan in her life and through her to all humanity. It was unlike the negative response to God’s love which we saw in Adam and Eve in today’s first reading. We also know that Mary said yes to God even when she knew that the consequence would be death, because a lady who became pregnant outside marriage in the Jewish culture would be stoned to death. Mary chose to remain faithful to God and allowed God’s plan to materialize in her despite the difficulties therein. In the same way, God has a plan for each and everyone of us right from our birth. As we grow, this plan continues to unfold. But, often times, following God’s plan may appear a difficult thing to do than pushing it aside and following our own designs. This is the challenge that many Christians face today. Many people have said no to God’s plans because of the difficulties those plans entail.
The life of the Blessed Virgin Mary teaches us that happiness and joy can only be present where God is present. Choosing to follow the plan of God is the only guarantee of everlasting happiness and Joy, but saying no to God can only give us momentary joy, which will turn to sorrow at the end. Like Mary, we have the choices of our lives set before us. Let us always choose according to the mind of God.
The solemnity of Immaculate Conception tells us that Mary is full of Grace. God also wants us to be filled with grace. To be filled with grace, we must empty ourselves of every obstacle to the life of grace. We must empty ourselves of all vices, of pride, of jealousy, of envy, of hatred, of all sins. In fact, let us sweep away from our souls all negative things that have filled them. By doing this, we will create a space for the grace of God to come into our lives.
We pray today for the intercession of Mary to obtain the grace we need to assume our role in God’s plan for ourselves and for mankind, and to say yes to the plan of God in our lives.
Happy Feast Day to you and your family
Fr. Isaac Chinemerem Chima