Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

December 8, 2018 

Readings:

First Reading: Genesis 3: 9-15, 20

Psalm: 98

Second Reading: Ephesians 1: 3-6

Gospel reading according to Luke 1: 26-38

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Homily:

When God the Father has message to his people, He sends his angels.  If the messages though important but not great, God sends his angels to bring the said messages; but when the message is very important and great, He sends his Archangels.  So, God sent his Archangel Gabriel to Nazareth, to deliver His message to a woman, actually to a girl at age 14 or 15 years old whose name was Mary.  “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk. 1: 26-27).  The archangel was named Gabriel which means “God is my strength.”     He was sent by God the Father for He has a very important and great message to one of His creatures, to an exact place, a town of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a righteous and just man named Joseph from the House of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.  It was so-detailed and complete presentation of the good news to us all.   

When the archangel arrived at the house of Mary at that time she was praying for the coming of the Mother of her Savior.  The archangel came, greeted and said to Mary, “And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you’.” (Lk. 1: 28).  What a wonderful greeting and unique and never heard before.  “Hail, full of grace,” he referred to Mary.  Mary is full of grace since her birth (immaculately conceived), freed from original sin by virtue of the merits of her son Jesus.  God intervened when original sin will enter into her; she was cleansed by God upon her conception, for she was the chosen Mother of His Son to be borne by her. God acted upon Mary in the first moment of her conception keeping her immaculate.  “The Lord is with you.”  From the beginning of time, Mary was already in the mind of God and in the place of the birth of God’s only begotten Son, Jesus, that why she was, is, and will be with the Lord.

Mary, as a young girl, did not know what was going on yet she was very much aware of the presence of the messenger, of the archangel. “But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be” (Lk. 1: 29).  Despite she was perplexed but she understood and pondered in her heart what the archangel was saying to her.

The archangel announced the good news, the Message from Heaven, from God the Father, to her.  “Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus.  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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever; and of his Kingdom there will be no end’.” (Lk. 1: 30-33).  One by one, the Archangel Gabriel explained to Mary the good news.  That Mary was found favor with God, the Father.  Of all women, past up to her time, she was the chosen one of God to become the Mother of His Son, whom she will give name, Jesus.  He also explained to Mary what will happen to her Son that, “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, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever; and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary was aware of her virginity, “kadalisayan at kapurihan,” her single-blessedness. She was young; she had no knowledge of relationship with the opposite sex/man (or to other men).  Besides, she was rose in the Temple in Jerusalem together with other virgins (young and old women), as seen by the mystics. Mary was right in answering the archangel.  “But Mary said to the angel, ‘How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?’” (Lk. 1: 34).  In her entire life, she had no relation with any man.  Joseph was betrothed to her after she was released in the Temple and sent home for she has had now a monthly period, for the priests and priestesses in the Temple believed that when a girl or woman comes to age by her monthly period, she is ready to get marry, beside her menstruation filth the Temple.  Mary stayed with her parents in Nazareth and continued what she learned in the Temple, praying, fasting and abstinence, remaining virgin for the sake of the coming of the chosen Mother of God whom she prayed, when the archangel came. 

To explain what will happen to her and how she becomes Mother of the Son of God, the archangel said, “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.  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; for nothing will be impossible for God’.” (Lk. 1: 35-37).  The Holy Trinity is present and coming to Mary.  With regards to the Holy Spirit, the Third Person in One God, He will come to Mary.  With regards to the God the Father, Most High, the First Person in One God, He will overshadow Mary.  With regard to God Son whom she will name him Jesus, He will be immediately in her womb and remain in her until such time she gives birth to the Son of God, the Second Person in One God. The Archangel also announced the condition of her cousin Elizabeth who was six months pregnant with John, the future forerunner of Mary’s Son and baptizer.  In their old age, Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah, conceived a child, while Mary was very young and she will also conceive a son.  The Archangel Gabriel revealed in God, nothing is impossible.

Mary as true daughter of God the Father, the spouse of the Holy Spirit, and mother of the Son of God, obediently and wholeheartedly accepted the message of God, from Heaven, to become the chosen Mother of our Lord Jesus.  She freely said, “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” (Lk. 1: 38).  She is the servant, the handmaid of the Lord God, and the first disciple of our Lord and Savior Jesus, the Christ.  

And the Archangel Gabriel went back to Heaven, departed from her, and reported directly to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the success of his mission of delivering the message to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary whom she accepted freely with humility and humble heart the appeal of God the Father to her.  And all the angels and saints in heaven rejoiced about the great news that Mary accepted to become the Mother of the Son of God and the long awaited Messiah, Christ, Son of God will be borne on earth.  Truly, her immaculately conception was not stained of sin, pride, selfishness, self-centeredness, but rather of love, faith and hope, self-giving and self-sacrifice for the sake of the Reign—Kingdom of God here on earth as in heaven.