Cleanliness

The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
09 December 2019

First reading                                                                  Genesis 3:9-15, 20
The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.” The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

Second reading                                                    Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.

He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.

With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory.

Gospel                                                                     Luke 1:26-38

In the sixth month the angel Gabriel as sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.”

Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.

Reflection

By Pietro S. Albano

One of the first things we learned at home is cleanliness. We take a shower, we wash our clothes, we tidy our room, etc. Being clean produces a sense of order in our lives and in those around us. An old saying goes "Cleanliness is next to godliness". 

On the other hand, uncleanliness puts people off. Imagine going to work without having washed. Think of walking on the streets with uncollected garbage piled up, wearing stained clothes, eating contaminated food, listening to fake news against a person, or enjoying a luxurious life at the expense of others? Uncleanliness ruins everything.

By eating the forbidden fruit, our first parents have become unclean. By their disobedience, they have ruined everything that God has in mind for them and for the rest of mankind. Thankfully, God loves us and wants us to be saved. By preserving Mary from original sin from the moment she was conceived in her mother's womb, God prepared Mary for an important mission: to be the mother of the Promised Saviour. 

Today's feast gives us hope that God will clean up the mess caused by sin and restore everything according to His plan. Mary, full of grace, said her fiat wholeheartedly to God's revolutionary action. He is calling us too. Are we going to roll up our sleeves and tidy up or are we just going to sit on the fence?

Prayer

Loving Father, thank You for the gift of Mary's Immaculate Conception. Through her intercession, remove all that blights our relationship with You and with others. Amen.