Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
When I think about the story of the fall, related in today’s reading from Genesis, I must confess I feel more than a little compassion for Eve. Not one of us can truly know what it was like to be in her shoes. But considering what the Scriptures say she did—eating a piece of fruit from a tree—it does not seem to warrant consequences of such cosmic proportions! Nonetheless (formal exegesis aside) I suspect we can all identify with what she did; we have all made choices that are in opposition to what God desires for us in a given situation. And, on this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin, the story of Eve stands in stark contrast to all that Mary represents to us.
In reading Luke’s passage of the Angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary, it is easy to be amazed that such a young girl would be able to say ‘yes’ to the sublime proposal Mary faced. What would I have done? What would any of us have done in her position? Comparing this to the reading from Genesis, we see Eve making one small choice that changes the course of history. Again, what would I have chosen? Given that the choice Eve had to make was small, relatively speaking, what significance does this have in my own life? It can be tempting to rationalize away small choices like that which Eve made; our days are full of such seemingly insignificant moments. In fact, our lives are really a series of moments that present us with choices. The point that strikes me is that Eve’s desire at that particular moment was not what God’s desire was for her. Eve chose ‘me’ while Mary chose God. Mary, when faced with what God desired of her, even in the midst of doubt and confusion, chose that which God desired for her. But Mary did not make the choice to say this big ‘YES’ to God out of the blue! She had already said ‘yes’ to God a million times before this. All the little, seemingly insignificant choices Mary made before her encounter with the angel gave her the capacity and willingness to say ‘yes’ to what God asked of her at that moment. Each and every time we say ‘yes’ to God it builds our capacity to say ‘yes’ the next time. It is a process that can only occur one choice at a time—just as it did for Mary.
For most of us, our lives reflect a mixture of Mary’s “I choose God” and Eve’s “I choose me”. Even when our spiritual lives are vibrant, daily reflecting on our relationship with God and earnestly trying to live for him, there are areas of our lives we keep from God. These are the areas we to choose our own will and live in the illusion that we know what is best for us. A brief glance at these areas will surely reveal who we choose—God or ourselves. We may find ourselves asking: What will happen to me if I change the way I am living? How much emotional pain will I have to endure if I follow what God is asking of me? What will others think of me if I do not continue to behave as I always have? How can I feel secure financially if I listen to what God desires of me when it comes to handling money? And so it goes. These questions can be an opportunity to learn more about ourselves and our willingness to choose God or choose ourselves. And, most often, we can identify many little choices that end up making a big difference.
Today, we are granted the privilege and the opportunity to implore our Blessed Mother, The Immaculate Conception, to intercede for us in gaining the grace and strength to say ‘yes’ to God in our many little choices. Let us not hold back but rather turn and run to her no matter how small or insignificant our choices may seem. Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us!
--Gail Lyman