PAINTING: The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner
Before the world was made, he chose us: he chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence.
Ephesians 1,4
In the Roman Catholic calender, today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Sometimes confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, it celebrates Mary’s conception without original sin, the human condition that inclines us to do what we know we shouldn’t and not do what we know we should. I admit that I have never found this particular feast compelling; the explanation of “being free from the stain of original sin” sounds esoteric and, well, odd. I never could get into the “stain of original sin” language. I read something on the Universalis website that helped me begin thinking about this feast in a new way.
I used an image of the annunciation on today’s post for two reasons. First, this is the season to ponder the birth of Christ, and Mary’s “yes” to the impossible reality proposed to her by the angel Gabriel was the beginning of that. Second, Mary would have needed extraordinary grace to respond as she did to the knowing she experienced: She had faith that she was not imagining such a thing (who could?), and she willingly assented to the plan which would change her life in ways she could not imagine as well as in a few that she could.
Mary would have known that few would believe her story when she turned up pregnant before she should have. Such an offense could mean death, and if not, it could mean the end of her relationship with Joseph and with her people. Yes, Mary needed tremendous grace, and if that is what the Immaculate Conception is about, then it is meaningful to me.
The reading for today from Morning Prayer and is a short excerpt taken from the Second reading at Mass. Mary was chosen from the moment of her conception for her unique role in salvation history. Through her openness to God’s call, Jesus became one of us and lived his life and died his death to reveal to us that we, too, are chosen. Each one of us. Through Christ we have the special grace to enable us to say, “yes” to the life we have and to God’s working in it.
Like Mary’s “Yes,” ours is not to aggrandize ourselves but to participate in God’s entrance into the world in fresh ways, to continue the Incarnation.
©2010 Mary van Balen
Speak Your Mind