Gn 3:9-15, 20 | Ps 98 | Eph 1:3-6, 11-12 | Lk 1:26-38
I think we're all fully aware that God can do whatever God wants. He doesn’t need our help at all; and yet, enjoys involving us in His work.
Think about it this way: when a grandmother bakes a cake, she is perfectly capable of doing it herself. Still, she tries to get her grandchildren involved. She might ask one grandchild to get a bowl, another to pour the cake mix into the bowl, and still another to put in the eggs and vanilla. In the process of mixing the batter and pouring it into the cake pan, her grandchildren are sure to make a mess. But she wants them to help anyway. Why? Because she enjoys the time she spends with her grandchildren. Also, because when the cake is done, the grandchildren will enjoy eating it that much more because they helped.
The same is true of God. He involves all of us in His work of bringing the world to the perfection He desires for it. That’s because God enjoys being with us. He takes pride in seeing us work to bring about good in the world He created. And He delights in knowing that we enjoy being with Him as well. Think about that: God delights in us!
Like the children who helped their grandmother bake that cake, we are sure to make a mess of things. Still, God enjoys seeing us do our best and helping us set things right when we’ve gotten it all wrong. Finally, God knows that, when His work is completed and the world is brought to the perfection God created it for, you and I will enjoy it that much more because we helped. That is the joy that God wants for us, His beloved sons and daughters.
This helps us to understand a little better the meaning of the feast we are celebrating today, the Immaculate Conception of Mary. From the moment Mary began to exist in the womb of her mother, she was free from any desire to hurt God or others. In fact, she shared God’s desire to love others. What she wanted more than anything else was to please God in everything she thought, said, and did.
God gave Mary this gift for a reason: so that she could be the mother of Jesus. God wanted Mary to be a part of bringing Jesus into the world so that He could show people how much He loved them. Ponder that for a moment: God wanted a mom to be part of our salvation! We hear about this in today’s gospel reading. The angel Gabriel tells Mary about God’s desire to involve her in bringing about a Kingdom that will have no end. Because Mary loves God, her open and ready reply required no further thinking: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” So, because of her yes Jesus was born. Because of her yes, you and I are here this evening (morning). Because of her yes, this church was built 41 years ago. Because of her yes, we strove to protect and restore it within the last year.
Because God wanted to make Mary part of His plan for our salvation, He also gave her everything she needed to succeed. For instance, that grandmother would never ask her grandchildren to bake a cake with her, without also giving them all the ingredients and tools they would need. In the same way, God does not call His people to do something without also providing them with the necessary gifts.
That is what God did for Mary. He gave her a special gift, a singular grace of a pure, loving heart so that she could be the mother of Jesus who would teach us the way to love.
This gift that God gave Mary from the moment she was conceived teaches us something about what God wants for us. He wants us to also have open and loving hearts; for us to want nothing more than to please Him; for us to do good for the people around us; and to have a friendship with us that is close and personal. Mary always had this friendship with God and never lost it. Through Mary’s son, Jesus, we who have lost that friendship because of our hurtful words and selfish actions can be close to God again.
Saint Paul assures us of this in today’s second reading: “God chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him.” This has been God’s plan all along. Mary enjoyed it from the first moment of her existence. God is making it a reality in us whenever we turn away from what we know is wrong and turn toward Him and His goodness.
God called Mary to be part of His plan to save the world. He gave her everything she needed to succeed. The same is true for us. God calls us to help Him reach people with His love. We do that by praying for others. We do that by helping others. He’s forever patiently waiting for our “yes.” Then the God for whom nothing is impossible, will do great things through us, and we will find our joy in being part of His great work of renewing the universe through, with, and in the Person of Jesus Christ!