8^th December – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

General. The celebration of the Eucharist reminds us of the wonders wrought by God in our individual lives, the same way as He has wrought in Mary, His mother, who was conceived without original sin. For us, the Eucharist gives us the strength to abandon sin so that like Mary, we might very much be carriers of Jesus into the world. See Profile

Genesis. The primordial act of disobedience has ushered in sin into the world. It had to be a Woman who did God’s will, who brought the rift between man and the evil one. In his wife, Adam saw life as opposed to the death brought about by the evil one. So he called his wife Eve, the mother of all life.

Psalm 97. The Psalmist sings praise to the wonders made by God, as in the mystery being celebrated today foreboding the Incarnation of His son Jesus.

Ephesians. God has predestined us Christians to sanctification and to be the salt of the earth. Filled with all kinds of spiritual blessings, God made us His adoptive children, having Jesus as our elder brother who entered into this life through the humility and obedience of Mary. The same way to holiness is fully open to us through hope and obedience to God’s will for us.

St Luke. The Annunciation event is a mystery in its own right for the mind which seeks logical building blocks above all. For God all things are possible, especially with a maiden who has full faith in Him and bows her head to His will. So many worldly problems would be solved joyfully and peacefully if only God’s logic were to prevail in contrast to man’s proud reasoning. Which takes us back to square one, the devil’s sophistry.

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