Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

PURPOSE In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will. – Ephesians 1:11        Tears fell as Lysa flipped the alphabet cue cards and asked herself, “Why did I ever want this again?” Lysa Terkeurst, an author and motivational speaker, left her preaching ministry to pursue a significant calling— to teach basic education to two orphans she adopted from a war-torn orphanage in Africa.        When the boys got tested for schooling, they found out that they would need to be in kindergarten. But there were no classes that accept students aged 13 and 14. Lysa put on hold all her speaking engagements and committed to daily sessions of teaching the alphabet and numbers to her teenage boys.       Many times she just wanted to return the boys and go back to preaching, but she knew in her heart she was destined for a special purpose designed by the One who accomplishes all things according to His will.        Now, the boys are in college and Lysa is back to preaching God’s Word. And because people were inspired by her story, 44 other kids were adopted from the same orphanage.        When God calls us for a purpose, God honors our yes. He equips us to accomplish the mission He calls us to do. Veia Lim (veiallim@gmail.com) Reflection: Where God guides, God provides. Lord, I set my eyes on the prize until I see Your glory fulfilled. Blessed Virgin Mary, pray for us.

COMPANION

1ST READING Mary is called the “New Eve” by the Fathers of the Church. This text points them towards this theological understanding, when it speaks of the one who will give birth to the Savior and who will crush the head of the serpent. Mary has a unique role in salvation history as the Mother of the Son of God, our Savior, and so it is only right to honor her for her obedience to God’s will. The Church teaches us that she is not simply the Mother of Christ but the Mother of the Church and, consequently, our Mother as well. Genesis 3:9-15, 20 9 After the man, Adam, had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden; but I was afraid, because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 11 Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” 12 The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.” 13 The Lord God then asked the woman, “Why did you do such a thing?” The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.” 14Then the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you shall be banned from all the animals and from all the wild creatures; on your belly shall you crawl, and dirt shall you eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” 20 The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. P S A L M Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4 R: Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous deeds. 1 Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done wondrous deeds; his right hand has won victory for him, his holy arm. (R) 2 The Lord has made his salvation known: in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice. 3 He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel. (R) All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God. 4 Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands; break into song; sing praise. (R) 2ND READING  The Immaculate Conception refers to God keeping Mary free from original sin, as an appropriate preparation for her becoming the Mother of His Son, Jesus. This is not explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures but it does make eminent sense when we consider her calling and role in salvation history. Let us believe that God will provide us what we need to live out His call for us. Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12 3 Brothers and sisters: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, 4 as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love 5 he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, 6 for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. 11 In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, 12 so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. GOSPEL Mary’s yes to God has to be the pattern for all true disciples’ yes. Acceptance of God’s will is probably the most difficult decision we will have to make because it sets us on the path of discipleship. There is no turning back. Jesus wants us all to commit to His will so that the work of the Gospel may be completed, and He will return and consummate it. Oh, what a day that will be! May we all see it from the perspective of eternal life with God forever in heaven. GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women. Luke 1:26-38 26 The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, 33 and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” 35 And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; 37 for nothing will be impossible for God.” 38 Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.  think: What role does Mama Mary have in your life?

SABBATH

‘HAIL MARY, FULL OF GRACE’ Feasts in honor of the Immaculate Conception go back to at least the eighth century. But only in 1854 did Pope Pius IX declare the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a dogma. Four years later, Our Lady appeared to Bernadette in Lourdes, France, and introduced herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” In other words, there is no one else like her — a human being without sin.        Sin and sinners are all around us. Today, however, we celebrate the feast of one of us: one woman, who never committed a sin — Mary of Nazareth, the Immaculate Mother of God.        “Immaculate” means without stain. Since sin is a “stain” on the soul, which should be pure in the sight of God, the Church believes that Mary was conceived without the “stain” of any sin.        Mary had a special mission in the redemption of mankind. So God created her as a “fitting dwelling place” for His Son Jesus, who was to be born of a woman who was totally free from sin, never under the power of the devil.        Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI made an interesting observation. He wrote: “I consider it important to focus on the final sentence of Luke’s Annunciation narrative: ‘And the angel departed from her.’ The great hour of Mary’s encounter with God’s messenger — in which her whole life is changed — comes to an end, and she remains there alone, with a task that truly surpasses all human capacity.”        Was she alone? No. The angel had greeted her with, “The Lord is with you.” This assurance of the Lord’s presence surely gave her the strength to face the difficulties that were lying ahead of her. And she walks with us sinners to guide us with motherly love so that we try to imitate her and avoid sin. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD -------- REFLECTION QUESTION -------- Do you try to avoid sin as much as possible or do you follow the trend in society which does not acknowledge the existence of sin? Lord, I am a sinner. Thank You for giving me Your sinless mother as my mother to guide and help me avoid sin. Amen. www.kerygmafamily.com