Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Can you imagine life as it was for Adam and Eve? They desired only good things, and they apparently couldn’t even imagine the possibility of wrong-doing. That is why they were so easily swayed by the serpent. It never occurred to them that someone could lie. It never occurred to them that they should protect their bodies from the eyes of others. They were innocent; not only in the sense of ‘not guilty of doing wrong,’ but in the sense that ‘they didn’t know anyone could do wrong.’
Do you remember being that way? Sure, we all have been guilty of disobeying our parents from the youngest age, but my question is, do you remember what it was like to not know so many of the bad things people can do to each other? Remember the time right before you heard about or were victimized by betrayal, war, sexual abuse, stealing, hunger, or death. What a loss we all experience when we discover new kinds of evil. Innocence is a blessed state indeed.
Today we honor Mary, because through her “Yes” to God, she became the beginning of getting our innocence back. Unlike all of us, God protected her from the evil desires that hide in the hearts of every human born. Because of her holy soul, she had the grace to trust God.
Because of Mary, we too can touch Christ and regain our innocence. God’s love and mercy can help us forget the evil that this world (and each of us) is capable of carrying out. With the Spirit in our hearts, we can trust so fully that we forget to lock doors, forget our plans for time and money, and spontaneously follow the plan God has. Jesus’s healing hand can help us forgive others for the evil they have done to us, and forget to be so careful or fearful of others.
With Mary as our model of trusting God’s work in us, let us rest so fully in God’s grace that we no longer waste time considering evil. Amen!
Chris Neiport