Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Conception

Dec 8, 2016

We should all say with confidence that Jesus Christ died for my sins. He took my sins to the cross. He was judged in my place.

Let’s think about this for a moment. Jesus died in a particular time and place about 200 years ago and yet I can say with confidence he took my sins to the cross and I’m living in 2016! We see then that the cross transcends the bounds of time. He took my sins to the cross and the merits of his sacrifice can be applied to me today in 2016.

Today we celebrate that the graces of the cross can not only be applied into the future, but they extended into the past to preserve Mary from all stain of sin from the first moment of her conception. This is what we call the Immaculate Conception. Mary was conceived without original sin.

Our readings today shed light on this mystery. Our first reading is from Genesis. Why a reading from Genesis? Genesis is the story of new beginnings, the story of creation. Today we are celebrating that God began a new creation. This is the story of salvation history – that God came to give us another chance after the fall and begin a new creation.

Now, our first parents Adam and Eve were created without original sin. So, you would think that if God is going to give us a second chance and begin a new creation that the first creatures in this new order of grace would also be created without original sin. That’s what we are celebrating today. Mary is the new Eve and as the first creature of the new creation, she was created without original sin. The new Adam and the new Eve were both without sin, just like the first Adam and first Eve.

Let’s look a moment at the gospel. St. Albert the Great who taught St. Thomas Aquinas said, think about the greeting of the Angel Gabriel to Mary. He said, “Hail full of grace.” Hail in Latin is Ave which is actually Eva spelled backwards. What does this tell us? Mary is the reverse of Eve. Mary is going to reverse the sin of Eve. It was Eve who was disobedient to God’s will and Mary the New Eve in the gospel today says, “Be it done unto me according to your will.” She is obedient to the will of the Father.

The roots of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception are also in the gospel. The Angel said to Mary, “Hail full of grace.” “Full of grace” in Greek is “Kecharitomene” which means not just one full of grace in this moment but one who has always been full of grace.

Finally, what we celebrate tonight is that Mary shared first in the order of grace. She is the first of God’s new creation. She is the new Mother of the Living, the New Eve. But, what God has done for Mary is a foreshadowing of what he wants to do for all of us. We are all invited to be a part of God’s new creation. Our second reading reminds us today that we became a part of God’s new creation, part of his family by our baptism. When we were baptized we became the adopted children of God.

Mary’s Immaculate Conception then foreshadows our baptism. It was through our baptism that our original sin was washed away.

Then just as Mary accepted Jesus into her life and became the ark of the new covenant- God’s dwelling place, so too he wants to take up his dwelling within us. It is here at the Eucharist that we accept Jesus into our lives and become arks of the covenant, temples of God.

And then Mary’s Assumption foreshadows our hope of the resurrection, our hope of the resurrection of our bodies to heaven.

Mary is the New Eve who was preserved from original sin from the first moment of her life. We see in her the hope and beginning of God’s plan of salvation unfolding, of the beginning of a new creation which we are all invited to be a part of.