You
might think, from the Church’s choice of this Gospel – the Annunciation of the
Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary – that this feast would be about celebrating
the conception of Jesus in the womb of His Blessed Mother. In fact, a lot of people think that…But they
would be wrong. We celebrate Our Blessed
Lord’s conception on the feast of the Annunciation, March 25.
On
this day we celebrate the dogmatic belief that Mary herself was conceived
without stain of sin, without original sin, in the womb of her mother, St.
Ann. She, the new Eve by whom the
salvation of the world was to be born, she who was called “full of grace” by
the angel in our Gospel, she was called “a worthy dwelling for her Son” in the
collect which Father just prayed. A
worthy dwelling for her Son.
And
that sums up the why of today’s feast – why Mary had to be
conceived without sin –because a Divine Son, an infant King through Whom all
things were made, required a worthy dwelling.
She was chosen before time began to be the first dwelling place, the
first sacred tabernacle if you will, of Our Blessed Lord.
For it was by her “yes” to the Angel, and it was in her womb, by the
power of the Holy Spirit, that our salvation first entered the world.
Jesus,
King of the Universe and Savior of humankind, required a worthy dwelling
place.
All
well and good, Deacon Ed, but what’s that got to do with me? Well I’m glad you asked.
I
have three different and mostly unrelated thoughts about that, three different
take-aways on this feast, if you will.
If you don’t remember all three, hopefully you’ll at least take home
one.
The
first is this and it concerns this area of our Church, of our sanctuary, right
over her to my right. Here we have the
physical tabernacle, in which Our Blessed Lord in His sacred Body resides,
where Our Lord’s sacred Body is reserved.
Whenever
you’re near the tabernacle, please recall Mary, the Immaculate Conception, the
first sacred tabernacle of Our Lord, and realize Who it is in this
tabernacle. Let’s especially be mindful
of this in this, our year of the Eucharist, in which we are frequently reminded
of Christ’s real presence – body, blood, soul and divinity in Holy
Eucharist. Reverently kneel before His
holy tabernacle, if you’re able. Bow, if
you can’t kneel. Know this – the Lord is
right here, really present. Let us
worship Him.
Second
– when we receive His Sacred Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in Holy Eucharist,
you and I are, in a very real sense, also His tabernacles. He chooses to come dwell with us, in
us, to strengthen us, to unite us, to do His will.
Now
you and I weren’t conceived without sin.
No, you and I weren’t given that great grace, that great gift, which
Mary received. But if He is to dwell in
us, oughtn’t we be as perfect a dwelling place for Him as we can be? In the same opening prayer, Father prayed
that “through her intercession, we,
too, may be cleansed and admitted to” the Father’s presence.
The
place for that cleansing is especially in the confessional, in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. I’m sure as heck not
immaculate, but when I walk out of the confessional, having been absolved of my
sins by Jesus Christ Himself through the power vested in the priest, that’s the
closest thing to immaculate this side of heaven. I walk out washed clean of my sins by the
power of His life, death and resurrection.
Washed clean in His blood, in His mercy.
Filled with His grace to go forth to try again, to grow in holiness.
Sisters
and brothers, if we are to be His dwelling places, if we are to be worthy
dwelling places for Him, let us be careful to not receive His Sacred Body and
Blood into our own bodies and souls if we are conscious of grave sin. Let us first approach Him, sorry and
repentant of our sins, and fall on His mercy in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. That is the way, the power, He left His Church to make us
worthy dwelling places for Him.
Third
and finally, this solemnity is also the patronal feast day of our nation, the
United States of America. Mary in the
Immaculate Conception is the patroness of our great country. We trust in her
protection and guidance. Ironic and sad,
it seems to me, that that sacred place which should be the safest - the womb -
is the most dangerous place in this nation.
Fully one-third of babies conceived here die in abortion.
Let
us recommit ourselves, through the intercession of Mary the Immaculate
Conception, to work to change hearts to recognize this great national tragedy,
and by her intervention with her Divine Son and by our work, may we once again
restore legal protection to our tiniest and most defenseless sisters and brothers.
Let
us now pray for her intercession for ourselves and for our nation using the
words of the Angel Gabriel – “Hail Mary…”
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