Solemnity of the
Immaculate Conception
8 December 2008
Our Lady of the Angels Monastery
Hanceville, Alabama
The great Spanish artist named Bartolome Esteban Murillo, painted
numerous pictures of the Immaculate Conception. His famous one
represents the Blessed Virgin Mary surrounded by cherubs and standing
upon the crescent, her hands folded on her breast and her eyes turned
upwards. It’s similar to the image that’s on the back of this vestment
that I am wearing. El Maestro, as Murillo is called, never began a
religious painting without prayer and penance. Also he founded an art
school. He and his students always greeted one another with the
salutation: “Praised be the most Holy Sacrament and the most Pure
Conception of Our Lady.” “Praised be the most Holy Sacrament and the
most Pure Conception of Our Lady.” What a great salutation to offer one
another especially on this solemnity of the Immaculate Conception today.
Indeed, the Conception of our Lady is not only pure, but immaculate.
Not only did Mary not commit any sin, but she was also preserved from
Original Sin. And this is because of the mission to which God has
entrusted for her from all eternity, that is to be the Mother of the
Redeemer, the Mother of our Savior, the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI mentioned, all this is contained
in the truth of the faith of the Immaculate Conception. The biblical
foundation of this dogma is found in the archangel’s words to Our Lady
that we heard just now: “Hail full of grace, the Lord is with you.”
“Full of Grace”
—
there’s another passage in the New Testament, in the Book of Acts, which
describes Stephen, the first martyr as “full of grace and power.” “Full
of grace and power and he did great wonders and signs among the people.”
Both books are written by the same author, Saint Luke. And even though
in the English translation the phrase is the same, “full of grace” for
Stephen, “full of grace,” for Mary, but yet in the Greek original, the
meaning is different. Particularly on Our Lady’s case the one that is
used is ‘kecharitomene.’ This indicates that God has already graced Mary
previously to this point where the angel Gabriel announced to Our Lady
of her vocation. God has already graced Mary; that’s her title “full of
grace.” The archangel called Mary instead of by her name, but by her
title, “full of grace.” God is making her, Our Lady, a vessel who has
been and who is now filled with divine life. She is the Immaculate
Conception. She is the Woman whom God put total enemy with the ancient
serpent that her seed would crush that proud head of the ancient
serpent, the devil.
In addition, the Immaculate Conception is also the patroness of the
entire Franciscan Order. To be true Franciscans, you really have to be
true Marians; otherwise you’re not Franciscans. Our Holy Father Saint
Francis said, “I command all my brothers who are living now and who will
live in the future always to praise the Mother of God, with every means
to honor her everywhere as well as they are able and have recourse to
her with the greatest respect and surrender.” That’s the words of our
Holy Father Saint Francis.
And so the Franciscan subtle Marian doctor, Blessed John Dun Scotus,
was very instrumental in helping the Church in living out what the Holy
Father Saint Francis has called his sons to live and to do. Blessed John
Dun Scotus was instrumental to help the Church to come to that holy
definition of the Immaculate Conception. Some of the theologians, some
of them are very popular, they argue or they question how can Mary be
redeemed as if she never inherited Original Sin because the Lord is the
Redeemer of all man. Scotus responded by saying; “She is redeemed as
well by Jesus Christ. She is redeemed at her conception. She is redeemed
in view of the merits of Christ on Calvary. She is redeemed ahead of
time. Thus she is the first fruit of Our Lord’s work of redemption at
Calvary.”
Just a little example: let’s say there’s a ditch. People goes through
this one alley. Many of them don’t know there’s a ditch. But every time
they go through this alley they keep on falling down. And then they have
to yell out “help, help, help,” and somebody has to go over there and
help the person who fell in the ditch. Where there’s another way of
saving those from falling into the ditch. Before even falling, they tell
them not to go through that alley, or just go from this side to preserve
the persons from falling into the ditch. So this is the way Our Lord
redeemed Our Lady ahead of time, even before He went to Calvary, even
before He was conceived in her immaculate womb.
And today is also the anniversary of our dear sisters’ Order. A
hundred fifty four years of the founding of the Poor Clares of Perpetual
Adoration. So we want to remember the sisters in our prayers
particularly for their anniversary and they are founded this day, on the
same day Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
And in addition there is another celebration where one of their
sisters, Sister Giselle, is going to be invested at the end of the Mass.
And it’s been a great blessing and privilege for me. I used to offer the
Spanish Mass every Sunday afternoon and in the beginning I got really
frustrated because I’m used to going to Mass, offering Mass with singing
as part of the Mass. But in the beginning there was no singing at all
because I know no Spanish songs in my little head. And so I was praying
to our Blessed Mother. I remember I asked her on Friday, “Please send
someone to help me with this Spanish Mass, particularly with the Spanish
songs.” That was Saturday. She didn’t waste any time. Next day, she sent
Sister Giselle. She came up to me, and she offered herself; “Father if
there’s anything I can help, I’m willing to help, just let me know.” So
the first thing I asked, ‘do you sing?’ ‘I can do my best.’ And so she
helped me. And so today is her investiture where she begins her
novitiate. She will receive a new name; she will receive a new title.
And I think not only for Sister Giselle, but for all of us, we want
to look to our Blessed Mother. It is a tough road to follow, a tough
patroness to follow, the Immaculate Conception, the Queen of all Saints.
So there’s going to be a lot demanded of you Sister, and a lot demanded
of all of us by Our Lady, most especially to imitate her purity, to
imitate her sinlessness, to imitate her holiness.
And I wanted to just mention some words of Saint Maximilian Kolbe,
which I think Sister Giselle, was or is, I’m not certain on this,
members of the MI, the Militia Immaculatae. Saint Maximilian said, “The
loftiest of creatures is man. Of all men in turn, the Immaculata is the
most perfect without the least sin, immaculate.” He said, “The
Immaculata is the personification of the mercy of God. For that reason
he who rises against her, pushes from himself that mercy and draws down
upon himself the justice of God.” He said, “The little infant that draws
away from his mother and refuses his mother’s breast will perish from
hunger. In the same way, one who draws away from the Blessed Mother will
perish from spiritual hunger.”
“So let us each one ask ourselves, whether we have worked during the
year as much as we are able for the Immaculata, for the salvation and
sanctification of our own souls, the souls of our neighbors. And whether
our conscience reproaches us for laziness, for negligence, insufficient
zeal and perhaps a lack of sacrifice. Let us look into ourselves and let
today, December 8th be a day of regeneration for our souls, a renewal of
zeal for furthering the heavenly and earthly kingdom of the most loving
Queen, the Immaculate Conception.”
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