We should try to understand how this
dogma of the Immaculate Conception could be accepted. And how can we be sure that
this is what God intended for Mary? Mary was graced with the Holy Spirit. She was
given the special grace to be the mother of the Saviour. And this grace, of
course, was an exception. Not every one of us is called to be the mother of the
Saviour. Only one. And that was Mary. A special privilege, simply because Mary
was always in deep relationship with the Lord. It is a favour. It is a gift. Mary
did not merit to be the mother of Jesus. The conception of Jesus in a miraculous
way is indeed the work of God. And so, too, the Immaculate Conception. She did not
deserve to be conceived immaculately in the womb of St Anne. But that is God's
choice. That is God's privilege given to her. And so, it was not something that
she merit. And this is very important for us. Because Mary, in truth, she
needed to be saved, like us all. The difference is this. Mary was saved
before her conception, in view of the grace of our Lord given to us on the
cross. We are saved after our conception through baptism, which
brings about the forgiveness of sins, again, through the work of Jesus on the
cross. So, we are all saved by our Lord. But Mary was saved in a pre-emptive
manner. Of course, this is a grace. And God can do it because it is within the
power of God. The Letter of St Paul to the Ephesians, we are told that we all
have been chosen from the beginning under the pre-determined plan of the
One who guides all things, as He decides by His own will, chosen to be
for His greater glory. If we ourselves have been chosen by God, surely, Mary,
in that sense, would have been chosen by God, and therefore given the grace to
be the worthy dwelling place of His Son. Indeed, my dear brothers and sisters,
when we reflect on this dogma of the Immaculate Conception, it is
indeed very telling, because Mary in her own life testified to this purity and
holiness. We know very well that Mary was always in intimacy with God. She was
always pondering over the Word of God, when the Magi visited her, when Jesus was
lost in the temple. She was the one Jesus praised twice in the Gospel, "Blessed are those
who hear the word of God and keep it." In St John's Gospel, Mary was the one who
instructed the servants, "Do whatever He tells you." And doing the will of God
shows that she was preserved from sin, that she was sinless. Because without
that grace, Mary would have great difficulty doing the will of God. Surely,
she was misunderstood when she was pregnant with her child. Surely, she felt
extremely sad when her son was falsely accused to be mad, and then put on the
cross. And yet, Mary joined Jesus in His suffering. For us, we all know very
well that because of original sin, our fallen nature, our will is weak. Even after
baptism, we are told that concupiscence remains with us because of original sin.
That's why for us, it is so difficult to resist sin. But with the grace of Jesus,
we can. And that is why for us, we need to, like
Mary, grow in our relationship with the Lord. The more we are united with Jesus, He
will give us the grace to overcome sin, so that together with Mary, we can truly
overcome the evil one. That is why the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a very
beautiful Feast to describe Jesus', not just Mary's victory over sin, over
Satan. And the truth is that both Mary and Jesus were not overcome by the evil
one. Because Mary was sinless. And Jesus who was conceived in the womb of Mary,
therefore, sinless. Not contaminated by original sin, but of course by the power
of the Most High that preserved Him. So, my dear brothers and sisters, let us
give glory and praise to God for giving us our Blessed Mother, who is our hope that we
too, will be able to live a holy and sinless life.
