Today is one of my favorite Church holidays because it celebrates Mary, Mother of the Church. More specifically, it celebrates the moment Mary was freed from sin, called the Immaculate Conception. I see Mary as one of the most important role models in the Church. Mary did what we aspire to do: she walked the walk. From the very moment Mary enters our story, with a fiat strong enough to inspire many for centuries to come, she has shown us how to walk in faith, overflowing with grace and zeal every step of the way.  

I heard a metaphor once about Mary and Jesus that I think about often: Jesus is the sun and Mary is the moon, reflecting his light onto the world. This idea often comes to me when I take a breather from the stress of Zoom college and clasp the Rosary sitting on my desk that my best friend got for me in Guadalupe. I am inspired to think about how Mary shines with Jesus’s light and that we are invited to do the same in our individual vocations.  

As someone without sin living in a world full of it, Mary inevitably walked a walk of very few companions. Still, in her gentle, yet powerful way, Mary did what she could to give her son to the world. A humble leader, Mary always pointed others toward Jesus. Mary showed us, and continues to show us, that choosing God comes with incredible possibilities. Choosing God means an eternity of true strength and love, as well as the promise of being exactly who we are meant to be. Choosing God means playing the part of the moon and reflecting all of the love and grace we are given onto the world. God has already chosen us, as we see described in today’s second reading: “In Him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of His will, so that we might exist for the praise of His glory, we who first hoped in Christ” (Ephesians 1:11-12). We are chosen, just like Mary, to bring about the Kingdom of God on Earth. Now, it is our turn to choose God, and to do so in typical Mary fashion: with 110%.  

This Advent, we may feel more like Mary than ever before—we might be more lonely than usual, we might engage in a simple celebration and we might be anxious about what the future holds. In the coming weeks especially, let us strive to see Mary, whether it be in the two rushed Hail Marys we say while washing our hands, or, in the face of our neighbor. May we be inspired by Mary to love fiercely, walk humbly, trust totally and reflect the incredible love God chooses to show the world through us.