杏MAP导航

By Benedict Mayaki, SJ

杏MAP导航 Francis led the faithful in the Angelus Prayer from St. Peter鈥檚 Square in the Vatican on 8 December, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Mary, full of grace

In his address, he said that Thursday鈥檚 Gospel reading introduces us into the home of Our Lady to recount the Annunciation. The Angel Gabriel greeted Mary, calling her by a new name 鈥渇ull of grace鈥� 鈥� therefore 鈥� 鈥渇ree of sin.鈥�

By calling Mary that name, the 杏MAP导航 explained, God reveals her greatest secret to her, which she previously ignored. He added that something similar can also happen to us in the sense that 鈥渨e sinners too have received an initial gift that has filled our life, a good greater than anything, an original grace, of which often, however, we are unaware.鈥�

Original grace received at Baptism

This original grace is what we received on the day of our Baptism, which is why it is good for us to remember and celebrate it, 杏MAP导航 Francis said.

At Baptism, the Holy Spirit descended on us too, thus 鈥淕od descended into our life, and we became his beloved children forever.鈥� From here, is our original beauty to rejoice in, and Mary, today, surprised by the grace that made her beautiful from the first instant of her life, leads us to marvel at our beauty.

This beauty, the 杏MAP导航 noted, can be apprehended through the image of the white robe of Baptism that 鈥渞eminds us that, beneath the evil we have sullied ourselves with over the years, there is a greater good in us.鈥�

Our beauty demands a cost

杏MAP导航 Francis goes on to note that the Word of God teaches us that 鈥渢o conserve our beauty demands a cost, a struggle.鈥�

In this regard, the Gospels tell us that Mary, in saying 鈥測es鈥� to God, shows her courage and chose the 鈥渞isk of God鈥�, and the Genesis passage on original sin, speaks to us of a battle against the tempter and his temptations. More so, through experience, we too, know that 鈥渋t takes effort to choose good, to conserve the good that is in us.鈥�

The Holy Father invited everyone to consider the times we have squandered this good by giving in to the 鈥渓ure of evil鈥�, being crafty for our own interests, wasting time on useless and harmful things, putting off prayer, and saying 鈥淚 can鈥檛鈥� to those who need us, when instead we could.

Mary is with us

杏MAP导航 Francis reminds us of the good news that 鈥淢ary, the only human creature without sin in history, is with us in the battle, she is our sister and above all Mother.鈥� Thus, 鈥渨e, who struggle to choose good, can entrust ourselves to her.鈥�

杏MAP导航 Francis concluded by praying that Mary Immaculate may 鈥渉elp us to preserve our beauty from evil.鈥�