Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Gn 3, 9-15; Eph 1, 3-12; Lk 1, 26-38
The perfect human being ("Vitruvian Man") preached by contemporary society
We all have an image in our minds of how we want to be. Society builds that image for us and we adapt it to ourselves, then we try hard to fit into this image of who we ought to be. In our society, what defines the model human being can be something like being healthy, strong and physically attractive, having a certain amount of financial security, enjoying a certain amount of freedom, being able to exert some power or influence over others. In a practical way this might mean having a comfortably large house, owning a car of a particular model, we gauge our worth by our intelligence, by the particular status we have due to our career, and having a loving family.
Our falling short of perfection
This, is a very long list, and when we look at ourselves, we realise where are now and although we might have some of these things I have just mentioned, many others might be missing. As a result, we spend all our lives trying to satisfy this image of the perfect human being, which society places upon us. In the process we tend to become discouraged, overworked. As a result, we reenact all that we have read about in today's first reading. Sin seeps in. We become envious and jealous of each other. We try and dominate over each other claiming ours what belongs to others by right. Then, conscious of the pitiful state in which we find ourselves, we hide from God because we think that there is now no way out of this vortex of sin that we have been sucked into.
A New Image of true perfection
In today's feast however, the Church invites us to turn our eyes to yet another image of the perfection. She is perfect not because she has any of the things mentioned above, but because she was made perfect - or saved - by Jesus. This is what we are celebrating today. In find it striking that the Church presents us not with a person with some super human powers but with another person like you and me, a simple young woman from a little town in the middle east, and whose name is Maryam.
The Immaculate Conception
The "Immaculate Conception" as we all know, literally means "conceived without stain," obviously referring to the truth that she was saved from original sin right form the beginning of her existence. We, on the other hand, are cleaned from original sin at Baptism. This means that from the very moment of her existence she was already enjoying the fruits of Jesus' redemption, his passion, death and resurrection which saved the world from sin.
Positive effects of the IC
However this does not only mean that she was saved from sin. It is much more than that: she also benefited fully from the graces of Jesus' passion death and resurrection. She was therefore completely open and receptive to grace, holiness, the new life granted by Jesus. In fact this is even mentioned over and over again in today's liturgy.
Replacing the false image of perfection with the Icon of true perfection
The figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary is therefore the image that must replace the imaginary and false image of perfection that society presents us with. We revere Mary not because she was passively submissive in front of God, far from that. Far from that: rather, she was courageous in making hers God's plan for the world. Her being conceived without sin does not make her different from us, rather she makes us much more like whom we should be. Perfection does not lie in the false and unattainable images of strength and power and wealth and attractiveness that society tries to brainwashes us with. But it lies in the absolute freedom and infinite beauty which sum up who the Blessed Virgin Mary is.
Absolute freedom
Nowadays we hear a lot about freedom: freedom to do this of that without anybody interfering in what you do, freedom of speech, freedom of wearing whatever you want and doing whatever you want with your body. But the freedom that Mary shows us is another, more radical type of freedom. It is a liberation from the clutches of sin. True freedom is not one where you can sin and nobody tells you anything or you are not punished, but true freedom is one where I can choose to sin and yet I choose not to sin. That has been gained for us through baptism, which makes it possible for us to receive all the other sacraments and we can continue renewing it through the sacrament of confession, over and over again.
Infinite beauty
The infinite beauty that Mary signifies for us is not a beauty that is skin deep or that is lost with age or illness but a beauty that lasts forever. I am speaking here of a beautiful heart which can be recognised externally by a smile, by words of kindness and by a gentle attitude.
Concluding prayer
On this feast of the Immaculate Conception, we turn to you, our Blessed Mother, that you may be our model, our examplar and our guide throughout this life. May we look forward to be like you, free from the clutches of sin and bearing true beauty in our heart so that we may continue in our generation and the generations to come the new life that you have brought to for us.
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