THE IMMACULATE ONE: MARY MOST HOLY!!!!
Every year the church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. This Marian Dogma states that Mary was conceived without the stain of Original Sin. The English poet Wordsworth poetically asserted, “Mary is our tainted nature’s solitary boast.” So that the Human nature of Jesus would be unstained it was convenient, according to the Angelic Doctor St. Thomas Aquinas, that the channel from which He would come to earth would be stainless, most pure, without the slightest contagion of sin— and that Immaculate One is the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Therefore, let us honor, pay tribute, offer the highest honor to her, below God Himself in some concrete way. Following are some points for reflection and action to manifest our love for The Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, Our Mother and the Immaculate Conception.
1. SINLESS. Never did Mary even in the slightest way commit any sin– neither mortal, nor venial, nor in thought, word nor in deed, nor in intention. All that she did was totally, absolutely directed to the honor and glory of God. That is why in her Magnificat she said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of God and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
2. SINNERS AND THE IMMACULATE ONE. Therefore, our love and devotion to Mary Immaculate well help us in our battle against sin and the ultimate victory!
3. PRAYER IN TEMPTATION! In times of temptation, therefore, we should call out to Mary and why not this prayer: “O Mary conceived without sin , pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Our spiritual weakness is fortified by the prayer of Mary!
4. MIRACULOUS MEDAL. Why not wear faithfully the “Miraculous Medal” as an exterior sign of your consecration. This medal was the fruit of Mary’s visiting St. Catherine Laboure and asking that this medal be made, worn, and promulgated. Originally, the title was the “Medal of the Immaculate Conception. However, in time due to the numerous miracles attributed to Mary through this medal, it has been called the “Miraculous Medal.”
5. APOSTLE OF MARY. St Maximillian Kolbe loved to call Mary “The Immaculata”. His confidence in her was total. She offered him two crowns: white and red, to choose from! Kolbe chose both, symbolic of his life of purity (white) and martyrdom (red). May we be fiery apostles of Mary like Kolbe…. How?????
6. PROPAGATE THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL. Kolbe carried these medals and gave them out at random, he called them “Spiritual ammunition”. These were his spiritual bullets he used in his fight against Satan who the Immaculate crushes by her foot. (Gen 3:15) The Protevangelium.
7. EXPLAIN THE MEDAL! Utilize the giving as a means for explanation. Be a Marian catechist through the medal! On the front is the image of Mary with her hands opened from which rays are streaming out= Mary is full of grace and wants to obtain for us the most choice graces. She is standing on the world with her foot crushing the serpent. The devil is astute, but Mary is more powerful. Encircling the medal are the words honoring the Immaculate Conception: “O Mary conceived without sin; pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
8. THE OTHERS SIDE OF THE MEDAL. On the backside of the medal are other important symbols. The 12 stars= from Rev./Apoc. 12. The woman clothed with sun with a crown of twelve stars on her head. Mary is Queen of the universe! Then there is the cross and underneath the cross is the big letter M . The meaning refers to Jesus on the cross and Mary underneath the cross. “Woman behold they son; son behold thy mother. From that moment the disciple took her into his home. (Jn 19:26,27) ) Meaning= Mary is the universal mother of all the living. Furthermore, at the foot of the cross. she is associated with Jesus in the passion and is “Co-Redemptrix”. Jesus is the only Redeemer, but Mary collaborated intimately in this work of the salvation of the entire world. The two hearts. One heart is pierced with the lance= the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. The other is crowned with thorns= the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
9. MARIAN CATECHISM. Therefore, by wearing the Medal, knowing its meaning, giving freely to others as a gift, and by explaining the medal, a powerful catechism and education in the faith is accomplished!
10. LIVING IN THE PRESENCE OF JESUS AND MARY. By the wearing of the Medal it is a constant reminder that we are never alone. Jesus and Mary are always with us! May we find secure and constant refuge in the Most Pure and Immaculate heart of Mary and in the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”
Let us lift our eyes to Mary, think often of Mary, invoke Mary, imitate Mary, love Mary— if done, her Son Jesus will be our best Friend in time and in eternity!
