Sing to the Lord a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
The Lord has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the Lord, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise. (Ps 98:1-4)
Our births made a difference. For some of us, our births actually defined “family” if we were the first-born. For others, our birth defined “sibling”. Our births gave hope and joy to our parents. They were able to look ahead and begin to have wonderful plans for us.
Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. A very special event came about when the Blessed Virgin Mary was born. She was destined to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Because of that, her conception was extra special as well. From the very first moment, she was shielded from the stain of original sin so that she would be a pure and worthy vessel for the Christ-Child.
This is one of two special feasts regarding Mary. The other flows from this feast. Because Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin, she would not suffer the corruption of death and therefore, at the end of her days, would be assumed body and soul into heaven.
Her conception and birth were special. Yours and mine were special as well. We were gifts from God to our parents and to our world. Mary made a difference to the world in her life by assenting to be the mother of Jesus. You and I can make a difference to the world by utilizing the gifts and talents that God has given to us for the betterment of those around us.
We can be selfish or we can respond to God’s invitation and give of ourselves. Mary responded “Yes” to God. May we do the same!
FAITH ACTION: If you have family at home, try to sit down with your children and tell them the wonders of their birth, how God made of them a great gift to you. If no family at home, take some time to contemplate the gift that you were to your parents and the mark you made on your family and make on our world.