杏MAP导航

By Devin Watkins

杏MAP导航 Francis prayed the Angelus on Tuesday, as the Church marks the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary.

In his catechesis ahead of the Marian prayer, the 杏MAP导航 reflected on how Mary offers us a foretaste of the blessedness of eternal life.

鈥淪he too was saved by Christ,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut in an extraordinary way, because God wanted that the mother of His Son not be touched by the misery of sin from the moment of her conception.鈥�

The Blessed Virgin Mary, added the 杏MAP导航, was 鈥渇ree from any stain of sin鈥� throughout her life, due to a 鈥渟ingular action of the Holy Spirit so as to always remain in perfect relationship with her Son Jesus.鈥�

鈥楩ull of grace鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis said every human being is created by God for the fullness of holiness, as St. Paul says in the Second Reading of the day鈥檚 liturgy (Eph 1:3-6, 11-12).

鈥淲hat Mary had from the beginning, will be ours in the end,鈥� he said, 鈥渁fter we have passed through the purifying 鈥榖ath鈥� of God's grace.鈥�

'The Lord is with thee鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 said even the most innocent people were 鈥渕arked by original sin and fought with all their strength against its consequences.鈥�

He noted that the first person we are sure entered paradise was a 鈥渞uffian: one of the two who was crucified with Jesus.鈥�

This, he said, is a sign that God鈥檚 grace is offered to everyone.

鈥楤lessed art thou鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis went on to warn Christians to 鈥渂e careful鈥�.

鈥淚t does not pay to be clever 鈥� to continually postpone a serious evaluation of one鈥檚 own life, taking advantage of the Lord鈥檚 patience.鈥�

He said there is no time like the present to to seize the day.

鈥楶ray for us sinners鈥�

We should do so, he noted, not in a worldly sense of enjoying every passing moment, but in a Christian sense.

鈥淭o say 鈥榥o鈥� to evil and 鈥榶es鈥� to God, to once and for all stop thinking of ourselves, dragging ourselves into hypocrisy and to face our own reality as we are 鈥搕his is who we are 鈥� to recognize that we have not loved God and neighbor as we should have.鈥�

Once we have seized the opportunity of recognizing our failings, we should confess it, he said, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and then seek to repair the harm we have done to others.

鈥楴ow and at the hour of our death鈥�

This difficult journey of conversion, concluded 杏MAP导航 Francis, is our path for becoming 鈥渉oly鈥� and 鈥渋mmaculate鈥�.

鈥淭he uncontaminated beauty of our Mother is incomparable, but at the same time it attracts us,鈥� he said. 鈥淟et us entrust ourselves to her and say 鈥榥o鈥� to sin and 鈥榶es鈥� to Grace once and for all.鈥�