8 December 2020

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Immaculate Conception is a feast of the Blessed Virgin.  But, without in any way minimizing her glory, we must say it is primarily a feast of God the Father.  It was he, from the very moment of her conception, who filled her, who was destined to be the mother of his son, with overflowing grace.  But that grace given to her was not primarily for her. This feast should remind us that before the creation of the world, each one of us was singularly chosen to be saints.  In that sense, the vocation of the Blessed Mother is the same as mine: to do the Father’s will: to bring Jesus to others.  For this reason we can say: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Savior, Jesus Christ, for the grace he poured into her soul at the moment of her conception, and blessed be him who continues to shower each one of us with his grace.” May each of us take Mary as our model and say: “Thy will be done.”