Today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception which celebrates the birth of Mary, our Good Mother and how she was conceived free of original sin. Although God would later grant her the freedom to choose whether she was open to bring Jesus into our world, He granted her at birth the possibility to be the sacred vessel that might one day carry the salvation of our world in her womb.

What strikes me most from this concept is that it brings to life for me other ancient words of scripture. In Jeremiah 1:5, we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Could God be so interested in our lives that He would know long before we are born what we are destined to become if we, like Mary, are open to accepting that call?

Although Mary played a critical role in bringing Christ into our world and probably an equally important role later in helping to establish the early church, she never looked to be in the spotlight or forefront. In the entire New Testament, Mary is only mentioned a total of 19 times. I believed she instead, preferred to allow the focus to remain on her Son and was happy to model for us how to be a perfect disciple. 

As our advent journey continues, might we be open to listening to what future plans God might have for our lives? When our Gabriel arrives, will we have the freedom, courage and willingness to respond like Mary?  What will our “Fiat” be?