Advent 2021

 

Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Discerning Our Role

Mary and Gabriel

Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. We recall how a meek and humble young woman became, through her tremendous faith, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and the greatest of all the saints.

In today’s first reading from Genesis 3, we find the Bible’s very first prophecy of God’s plan for the salvation of mankind, known as the protoevangelium. This prophecy comes as a part of the punishment God gives the serpent for tricking Adam and Eve into eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. God tells the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.” Here God promises, from the very beginning of human history, that mankind will triumph over the Devil and evil through one of Eve’s descendants. 

As Christians, we know that this promised savior of mankind is God in the person of Christ Jesus, who took on human flesh by becoming incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thus, little did the young Mary know, her integral role in salvation history was willed by God from the very beginning of time. It is in today’s Gospel that Mary first receives the news of these plans that God has for her. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary and tells her that she will conceive the Son of the Most High, despite having no relations with a man, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

We can only imagine the intense emotions inundating Mary’s heart upon Gabriel’s appearance and annunciation: confusion, shock, amazement, fear. Mary knew that taking on such a mission would open her up to the danger of being falsely charged with adultery and stoned to death. Yet, she put her trust in God and replied with complete faith, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” 

This assent of Mary to God’s divine plan for her, known as her fiat, serves as the perfect model for us and our own assents to God’s will. We all have a unique role to play in salvation history, one willed by God from the very beginning of time. Our own roles are obviously less integral than that of the Blessed Virgin, but they are still important to God’s salvific plan in some way. 

For most of us, discerning this unique role requires time, patience, and above all, prayer. Such a process can be frustrating. Sometimes, we might even wish for an angel to appear and make this role of ours instantly and absolutely clear. Yet, discern we must. And when we do get a grasp of this role of ours, let us pray that we, taking Mary as our model, may accept it faithfully and joyfully, however shocking, strange or dangerous it may be.

Mike Samaritano '24

Mike is an undergraduate in Pauli Murray College.