Mary Points The Way
Pittsburgh is well known for its sports teams—sometimes hailed as “The City of Champions”. Throughout many years of championship titles and trophies, there is one play from a 1972 football game that stands out. The play was during the AFC playoff game with the Oakland Raiders at Three Rivers Stadium. That day, Bradshaw was throwing crisp and accurate passes with the Raiders’ defense batting them away with sharp accuracy. Bradshaw, in a desperation pass, hurled the ball, ‘threading the needle’ through Oakland’s unyielding defenders. The ball, seemingly headed for intended receiver, Frenchy Fuqua, rocketed its way down field. But Raider free-safety, Jack Tatum had other plans. Just as he smacked the ball toward the ground upon its arrival, out of nowhere appeared Steeler running back, Franco Harris, who scooped it up just as it was about to make contact with the ground.
As the surprised crowd reacted, #32 raced down the sidelines for a touchdown. Myron Cope, the voice of the Steelers named the catch as the “Immaculate Reception”. At Pittsburgh’s Greater International Airport this event has been immortalized and also at the Sports History Center in Pittsburgh’s Strip District. Being a native Pittsburgher, I have always enjoyed living in a city with such a rich sports history.
The Church, throughout history has had many titles for Mary, many of which are familiar and well-known such as Mother of God, Queen of Heaven, Handmaid of the Lord, Mother of our Savior, Queen of the Apostles. Some titles, however not as familiar, are just as beautiful: Mother of Consolation, Fountain of Salvation, Help of Christians, Gate of Heaven, Queen of Peace, Font of Light, Chosen Daughter of Israel, Cause of Our Joy and Pillar of Faith, Mother and Mediatrix of Grace, Mother of Good Counsel, Mother of Reconciliation, Seat of Wisdom, Temple of the Lord and The New Eve.
The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception stands in our nation’s capital in Washington, DC as the 7th largest church in the world. Mary is the Patroness of the United States of America. We invoke her intercession as we make our pilgrimage to God’s holy Kingdom.
“Through the centuries, the Church has become evermore aware that Mary, ”full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses as Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: ‘The Most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.’” -IIneffabilis Deus. (C.C. #491)
No stain of Adam’s sin ever touched the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was a sacred privilege accorded her, in virtue of her role as Mother of the Messiah in order to make her a worthy dwelling for him. She is robed in the splendor of her stainless innocence and clothed with the beauty of Christ, and prepared to receive Him in her womb. Mary was redeemed by God through ‘prevenient grace’ (a scholastic term which means Mary was spared from sin crediting to her in advance of her Sons’ redemptive sacrifice so that she could ‘sinlessly’ bear the sinless Son of God.)
Through Christ’s redeeming Death and Resurrection, all believers have the stain of original sin washed from their souls through the living waters of Baptism. However, through our sinful choices, the residue of sin remains in our disordered desires and our concupiscence, that can easily derail us.
In the story of “The Creation”, in the first Book of the Bible, God asked Adam, “Why did you do it?” Adam said, “Don’t blame me, Lord, it’s not my fault. Eve made me do it.” Adam and Eve tried to hide, and Adam pointed the finger at Eve. Eve pointed the finger at the serpent, who tried to blame the sin on its upbringing. But God didn’t see things their way. Original sin means that Adam and Eve chose what they wanted and tried to hide their souls from God.
In our fallen, yet redeemed humanity, we attempt to do the same in our relationship with God. Sometimes we hide our souls from Him. We try to cover up our sin; we try to deny our sin; we try to blame our sin on someone or something else. We do not want God to see the truth about us and we ‘masquerade’ our failings through rationalization and self-deception.
Mary loved God so much that she remained completely visible to Him. She had nothing to hide. Her trust in God was totally perfect. She had knowledge of good and evil but she exercised her choice for good. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception reminds each of us that we can always make the choice for good in our own lives. It’s not easy but, through the grace of Baptism, we have divine assistance as we wrestle with evil.
When we die and stand before God with our souls naked, we need not be afraid; we need not hide; we need not deny or blame. When we choose what God desires for us, we are holy and made whole. Choosing God always brings peace of mind and peace of heart.
We can be de-sensitized to the power and presence of sin in our lives. But, in each and every century, Mary points the way for us. “Nothing will be impossible for God.” -Luke 1:37.Mary fully embraced the angel Gabriel’s message with no more fear, questions or anxiety, for she was pure of heart and immaculate of soul. The Lord wants to heal us from sin that threatens to tackle and destroy us, putting us into tombs of sadness, suspicion, bitterness, pride or fear. The polarities of human existence: light and darkness, grace and sin, peace and violence, plan and disruption, health and sickness and life and death are the landscape of our journey. No matter how destructive or hopeless a situation may seem, there is a possibility of a solution and redemption. “The Lord is always watching what people do; everything they do is as clear as day to Him. None of their sins are hidden from Him; He is aware of them all.” -Sirach 17:19-20
Like Adam and Eve, we can be afraid, ashamed, disgraced, defeated and sinful, or on the other hand we can choose to be like Mary—unafraid, overshadowed by God’s power, open to the Holy Spirit, victorious and undefeated. Let not our past record of failures, defeat or sin destroy our confidence in Mary’s powerful intercession and prayer, to seek her Son, Jesus’ will in our lives.
“The one thing Mary did and does is the one thing that we all have to do, namely to bear Christ into the world.” -Caryll Houselander, Writer and Poet (1901-1954)
