OMELIE / Omelie EN

08 dic 2018

08/12/2018  Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

08/12/2018  Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Reading 1 GN 3,9-15.20 Psalm 97 Reading 2 EPH 1,3-6.11-12 Gospel LK 1,26-38

The first reading introduces us God looking for a meeting with the man. The latter has done according to what he had thought was good, he has acted following his own reasoning instead of his God’s instructions. He has become aware right away though that he was not enjoying serenity and harmony any more, he has realized that he was not able to enjoy meeting neither with the woman, who had deceived him, nor with God, whose rebuke he fears. And then it is God searching for him and talking to him first: “Where are you?”.

God knows that the man is unprotected, he is alone, incapable of getting his life back on track. By now death has appeared inside him with the first fears, fear of everything, even of the closest person, even of himself. Now he does not search for anything but darkness, in order to be invisible to everybody. Now he’s without life because all his relationships are under threat, broken, have ended. Of his own initiative and with his own strength and skills he cannot live. By grace God loves him still, and he comes, speaks, starts over. He, first of all, wants the man to realize the situation he is in and his helplessness, then He makes a promise: He Himself will intervene to reset the situation, to give life again, and He will do that with the cooperation of the man himself, nay, of the woman’s descendants. God’s words give men hope, who begin to wait and desire to become close cooperators of God’s, offering a child of theirs in order to fulfill the promise, and they would like to speed up the hour of salvation with a faithful and incessant prayer.

In this prayer takes part the whole people of Abraham, who knows the promise of the Scripture, and every single member of the people. In it takes part Mary as well, the girl from Nazareth, who “has no relations with a man”. Today we look at this “woman”, who is not like any other woman. What does make her different? All women, like all men, think of themselves, they are vain, ambitious, they want richness, their own decisions and ideas, they have dreams to make true. All women are heirs of the first man, and they carry deep within themselves some residue and consequence of His first disobedience, of that emptiness and solitude of which Adam suffered after He obeyed Eve instead of His God’s word.

Mary is greeted by the angel with powerful words, that up to now have been addressed by the prophets to the entire people of God to encourage it to hope and rejoice. She needs to rejoice, because God is with her! She is not encouraged to search for penance and conversion, like the sinful men. She is called: “Full of Grace”! She is filled with God’s selfless love! In her and over her the beauty and the greatness of the divine light shine, on her rests fullness of sanctity! Mary receives a word that is the fulfillment of the promise given to all men. In order to be able to take it, she has been prepared by God. In her heart and on her face are not shown the consequences of the disobedience and the suspicion of the beginning, that have made disappear from the man’s face God’s likeness. Mary’s face is pure, clear, luminous. We call her “Immaculate”, in order to highlight the fact that in her the shadow of sin is missing, but we know that she is not only without sin, but also “full of grace”, filled with the amazing selflessness of love that makes of her, the loved creature, the creature really able to love! In the second reading we can see what the apostle is telling already become true in Mary. She is blessed and immaculate, she is the praise of God’s glory, and therefore we enjoy her, the work of the Father’s love, and we stay close to her! While walking side-by-side with her, we will feel the positive influence of her purity and sanctity, of her love for the Father, of the strength of the Holy Spirit, that made of her the pure dwelling of the Son of God.

While spending the days under her gaze, and keeping our eyes on her, on our face will be reflected the shine of God’s likeness, and we will have again the strength to resist the one who wants to drag us into disobedience, and from disobedience into ruin, and we will be able to answer God’s question: “Where are you?” saying: “I am close to Mary, I am hugging her Son.” Having her with us, the church will carry on joyfully her role of mother that generates new children to God and gives again the shine of sanctity to everybody through forgiveness, of which it is minister.

Rejoice, Mary, full of grace! The Lord is with you! Great things are sung about you, Mary!