Feast of The Immaculate Conception: Celebrating the Sinless Purity of Mary
Fr. Hugh Gillespie, SMM
Celebrating the Sinless Purity of Mary
How great it is to celebrate this feast day during the season of Advent.
As we decorate our homes and churches, we prepare a place for the Lord’s Coming. In this feast day, God Himself is also preparing a place for Our Lord’s Coming. As beautiful as we try to make our homes in laying out a manager, if we are honest, a stable is not very clean.
The Lord comes to us and rests in a stable. To be able to do this, He rests someplace else first. St. Louis de Montfort correctly points out, that as filthy as a stable may be, our hearts tend to be worse. Think about that. The King is willing to come to us first, via a stable. But we need to ask ourselves, how well prepared are our hearts to also receive the King. Have I prepared and cleaned my heart?
When we speak of the Holy Virgin, we speak of her as both a person and a place. She is the Mother of Jesus, and the dwelling place of Our Lord. She is a disciple, as well as His throne room. Note what that also means for us! We are not only His followers (His disciples), but He also (desires to) abide within us! We are temples of the Holy Spirit. So, the way we speak of / about Our Lady, also points to a way we need to think about ourselves!
Imagine the goodness within Our Lady. Imagine her Sinless Purity! The Homily discusses the sinless heart of Our Lady.
The only reason we have the Immaculate Conception is because Jesus is coming to save you and me! Wow! What a statement! The gift of the Immaculate Conception is not a private gift. Hear more on this within the audio.
Listen to this Homily. Listen to the significance of this Feast Day and how it gives us a way to think about ourselves. Hear more within this Meditation media.
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St. Anne Conceiving the Virgin Mary: Flemish Painter: Jean Bellegambe 1470-1535
The painting resides in the Douai Museum in France.
Imagine the goodness within Our Lady. Imagine her Sinless Purity! The Homily discusses the sinless heart of Our Lady.
Feast of The Immaculate Conception: Celebrating the Sinless Purity of Mary