“The Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death.” ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church (966)
Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It is the day that we remember that God has a very special plan for each and every one of us. God had a plan for Mary. It involved her becoming the mother of His Son, Jesus. His plan involved an invitation. Mary was not forced to say yes. However, if she were to say yes, God wanted her to be a worthy vessel for His Son. Because of that, He preserved her from the stain of original sin from the very moment of her conception.
God has a plan for you and me as well. His plan for each and every one of us takes us in all sorts of directions in our lives. His plan also calls for our acceptance or rejection of His invitation as well because He has given us the gift of free will.
Sometimes, we are keenly aware of God’s plan for us in certain circumstances and we balk against it. It might be because it scares us. Maybe we are being called to do something totally out of our comfort zone. Sometimes, it makes us uncomfortable because we might feel called to be with people with whom we would rather not associate. We need to examine ourselves in those situations and do the best we can to be more open to others.
God might call us to the difficult. He might call us to something frightening. His call might make us very nervous. But God also gives us grace upon grace to accomplish His will if we say yes.
Knowing that God has a plan for us should make us feel quite good within. Bask in that knowledge and ask Mary to help us respond appropriately to God. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.
FAITH ACTION: Pray a decade of the rosary (or the entire rosary if you can), asking Mary to help you respond to God.