“Giving heed to the loving call of our Blessed Mother – the Greatest Monument of the Grace of God – and being fervent and zealous to lead a holier life, pleasing to God!”
(Based on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother)
A legend goes thus…
There was once a great debate in heaven as to who was the Greatest Monument of the Grace of God.
Each of the redeemed began to speak of their experience with the Grace of God. Each one told their story of life…
… how they were so steeped in sin
… how they had immersed themselves in wickedness
And how the Grace of God had rescued and redeemed them!
Many of them also spoke of how, at their deathbed, a conversion had happened, and it was purely the bountiful Grace of God that had saved them.
But just before voting was conducted, another of the redeemed stepped forward to tell of his story.
He had come to know of the love of Christ as a child
… He had followed it all the days of his life
… By His grace, He had also sought to keep away from sins and transgressions.
Then the vote was taken.
The result declared that it was not the thief or the cheater or the
blasphemer or the murderer…
… but the man who had followed Christ all his days.
The one who had sought to remain faithful to God all his life was considered as the Greatest Monument of the Grace of God.
Well, this is just an imaginary legend. But it also tells an important message: Being Faithful to the Mercy of God, all the days of one’s life constitutes a high degree of holiness and grace.
And Who else but the Mother of God – Mamma Mary – deserves this title of being “the Greatest Monument of the Grace of God?!”
Today, we celebrate the Solemn Feast of the beginning of the faithful life of the Most Beautiful and Loved Creation of God: The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother.
Sin is part of every human life.
St Paul testifies to this fact when he says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23)
By themselves, human beings are incapable of freeing themselves from sin.
Therefore…
… Everyone needs a Saviour
… Everyone needs a Redeemer
But God, in His infinite wisdom, had the most excellent way of redeeming humanity.
Salvation was to be accomplished not through any magical power
Salvation was to be brought about not through some superhuman force
Rather, salvation was to be won by a Human Himself – the most perfect Human.
This perfect Human deserved and required the most sinless of all wombs for being born
This perfect Human necessitated the most immaculate of all lives to be nurtured
Thus, God, in His perfect wisdom, applied the Grace of Redemption and Salvation to the One
He had chosen – Mary of Nazareth.
Therefore…
Mary is the first recipient of the Redemption of Christ!
Mary is the first fruit of the Salvation, won by Christ!
This is the story of the Immaculate Conception of Mother Mary.
The Holy Scripture testifies to this Immaculate nature of our Blessed Mother through the words of Angel Gabriel to Her, “Hail, FULL of Grace!” (Lk 1:28)
Thus, the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother points to Her sinlessness, Her being full of Grace, Her perfection in holiness and Her absolute adherence to the Will of God.
“Yes, Lord… Thy Will be done” (Lk 1:38) was a chorus that She sang in all the moments of life!
Today, on this Feast day, our Blessed Mother invites and exhorts us, also…
… to choose God, always, and lead a sinless life
… to always opt for God alone, at all times, and being immaculate in life
… to unswervingly be faithful to God’s Will, and thus seek to be perfect in life
The challenge is great… the efforts required are radical.
But we are not left alone in this “pursuit of holiness” (1 Cor 9:24)
Our Blessed Mamma – the Beautiful Lady in blue and white – graced in holiness and immaculate in
love – holds our hands and tells us: “My Little Child, I am with you!
I love you, and together, we shall walk in this exciting path of Holiness…
… towards My Son and Your Brother
… towards Our Saviour Jesus!”
Yes, may we give heed to the loving call of our Blessed Mother – the Greatest Monument of the
Grace of God – and be fervent and zealous to lead a holier life, pleasing to God!
Happy Feast of our Immaculate Mamma!
God Bless! Live Jesus!
Quotable-quote-a-day-with-St Francis de Sales (SFS) – “Our Lady and Holy Mistress alone was exempt from this evil [of being conceived in sin].
She who was to conceive God first in her heart and in her spirit…
Reflection Capsules 