By Fr Antony Christy, SDB.
THE WORD AND THE FEAST – First Friday of Advent
December 8, 2023 – Celebrating the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother
Genesis 3:9-15,20; Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12; Luke 1:26-38
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception does not impede us from continuing our Advent journey, in fact it makes a significant contribution to our Advent reflections in two ways: one, because immaculate conception of Mary was indeed a preparation on God’s part for the coming of Christ; secondly because Mary stands out as the greatest of models in preparing ourselves towards receiving the grace of incarnation.
The talk of “Grace” is what abounds at this feast – as the Angel greeted Mary: “full of grace”. She was Grace-filled and that state of life is two dimensional.
First dimension is that God is the author of all Grace. What is grace? Grace is the presence of God, the presence that surrounds us all our life. Even to us the Lord has given us this grace – that God is all the time with us and for us. Mary was given this closeness to God as a great gift right from her conception in her mother’s womb. She recognised that and she was mindful of that all her life. How much do we recognise that and how much do we draw strength from that – that would decide how able we are in expecting the Reign.
The second dimension is that of corresponding to that state of grace offered by God. Mary did that. Enough to think of that whole hearted submission we see in the scene of annunciation: I am the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word. It is true that God had chosen her from before the world was made, as St. Paul teaches us. Even we are chosen in Christ, from eternity to belong to God. But our virtue lies in corresponding to that state of grace given us – in our humble submission and loving attachment to God.
Expecting the Reign is not merely an external event that we await, but an internal transformation that can happen only when we are recognizant of the grace that God has filled us with and mindful of corresponding to it in every way possible – in short, being Grace-filled.
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He has completed his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him on.