Happy feast of the Immaculate Conception, and happy
patron feast day, United States of America. Somehow it's wryly fitting that in a nation where Catholics have been so often misunderstood, and where we sometimes don't even understand ourselves, the patroness is one of the the most frequently confused theological concepts. Just to be clear, we're talking about the beginning of
Mary's life here.
It's also fitting that in the land that celebrates self-made success, today we remember how no one can redeem themselves - we need God's grace and redemption. God chose to redeem Mary ahead of schedule, before her Son had even been incarnate. Only one other person got this privilege. Tradition states that John was cleaned of original sin in utero, when he danced for joy at the approach of his infant savior cousin.
Mary is the "first fruits" of Christ's redemption, the
morning star before the sunrise, the coming attraction trailers that signal the start of the feature film. Her sinlessness is a glimmer of hope representing what Christ can do for us and what we can become.
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