Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today's Mass Readings

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers;
he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel.”

Our Basilica, the abbey to which we belong, the congregation of Benedictine monks we belong to ,and the country we live in—all are under the patronage of “the woman” in this text – the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is depicted in our Basilica in the figure of the Blessed Virgin who stands on the world, with a snake coiled around it. The text cited above, in Latin, arches this painting.

God is here speaking to the devil, which from early times, the Church called the “proto-evangelium”, “the first gospel.” It foretells the coming of the Savior as St. John would write: “It was to undo all that the devil has done that the Son of God appeared.”

Mary’s Son came to destroy the reign of Satan in our lives. This means that Satan, the “accuser,” is powerless to accuse us of our sins. Not that we are sinless. Rather, because we know to whom we can go for forgiveness!

One application of this has to do with suspicion. One of the things we have to deal with in passing from youth to adulthood is the dawning realization that not only is evil “out there,” it is also in us. This necessary awareness hides the deadly venom of the suspicion that the whole of me is bad; it fosters discouragement.

Mother Church came to appreciate dealing with this human predicament in her development of the doctrine of original sin. This simply means every human being except Mary is born into a condition weakened in the ability to choose the good and avoid evil. It does not mean that a part of us is evil. But it means in living out of the good gifts of our nature, we find ourselves handicapped. St. Paul puts it, ‘the good I want to do, I can’t; and the evil I want to avoid, I can’t.’

When we become aware of our inclinations to selfishness and sin, we start spending a great deal of energy either denying it or getting down on ourselves. What is worse, we become suspicious of our good intentions. Things get all mixed up inside about what a fake we are. This discouragement can lead to destructive thinking and behavior.

Satan is envious of the good, the true and the beautiful, wherever he finds it, but God tells us to affirm the good, the true and the beautiful wherever we find it. His grace is more powerful than any evil we can commit if we but turn to Him for help. St. Bernard gives us a powerful means of help:

When rage or greed or fleshly desires are battering the skiff of your soul, gaze up at Mary. When the immensity of your sins weighs you down and you are bewildered by the loathsomeness of your conscience, when the terrifying thought of judgment appalls you and you begin to founder in the gulf of sadness and despair, think of Mary. In dangers, in hardships, in every doubt, think of Mary, call out to Mary. Keep her in your mouth, keep her in your heart. Follow the example of her life and you will obtain the favor of her prayer. Following her, you will never go astray. Asking her help, you will never despair. Keeping her in your thoughts, you will never wander away. With your hand in hers, you will never stumble. With her protecting you, you will not be afraid. With her leading you, you will never tire. Her kindness will see you through to the end. Then you will know by your own experience how true it is that ‘the Virgin’s name was Mary.’

Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB