The priest D. José Antonio Senovilla offers the readers of Exaudi this article on the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the Most Pure One in the Immaculate Conception of her Blessed Son and also in the new conception of all of us at the foot of the Cross, whose feast we celebrate every December 8.
“What a glorious proclamation for you, Virgin Mary, because from you the sun of justice has been born, Christ, our God” (Communion Antiphon at the Mass on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary).
God created the world out of love, and in the face of man’s sin, he decided to redeem it, also out of love. And for that he designed a saving plan. And he wanted man to participate in that plan, but it was a plan that was unthinkable for man himself, so grand and divine. And so he did. And she decided to send her Son to become one of us. But for a God made man, a mother was needed. And she made him. And she made him Pure, Clean, Without Stain, some of the sin, so that she could reflect without hindrance the Beauty of God, the Light of God: of the Father; of her beloved Son; and of the divine Spirit, who made her divinely fertile. And She, the Pure, the clean, the Immaculate, the Conceived Without Sin, gave birth to the Son, her Child-God. And then, that same Virgin Mother welcomes all of us in a new birth: that of children of God.
All this wonder speaks to us of God’s commitment to man, of how far God is capable of going to save those whom he created with so much love in his image and likeness. It is surprising what God asked of Abraham, the sacrifice of his beloved son: but that was only a test of faith. What God forgave Abraham, He did not forgive Himself: He did indeed give up His only Son to death, out of love for each one of us. He gave up the Innocent One, and with Him the Blessed Mother. The Most Pure One was so in the Immaculate Conception of her Blessed Son, and She was also so in the new conception of all of us at the foot of the Cross.
“Most Pure was to be
the Virgin who gave us the innocent Lamb
who takes away the sin of the world.
Most Pure is she whom you destined among all,
for your people,
as an advocate of grace,
and an example of holiness” (from the Preface of the Mass on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary).
And how does all this wonder affect us? It helps us in everything, because in this way we know that we have a heavenly Father who is always close: even when we make mistakes. And we also have a Mother in Heaven. She can do everything before God, and she has learned from God himself to do everything for us: she always helps us.
Mary is Virginal Purity. And if we turn to her, she keeps our heart pure and purifies it of past faults. Hail Mary, Most Pure! How many times have we said this prayer? Each time we did so, her Immaculate Heart leaped for joy.
Saying the name of Mary fills our heart with sweetness: it is the Sweet Name of Mary. We say her name, and it is a call: “Mary!” And she immediately comes to our aid: like a good mother comes when her child calls her: “Mom!” She is always available: She always comes immediately.
Who pronounced the name of Mary better? Jesus. And what did she do? She left everything immediately and always answered: “Tell me, Jesus.” And she came wherever He was.
God gave that name to the one who was to be his favorite daughter, his mother, his wife. To the Immaculate Virgin who brought Redemption to the world.
Being your Mother, when you pronounce the name of Mary, She answers you by pronouncing yours: calling you by your name. But no creature pronounces your name like that, with such sweetness. She pronounces it as she sees Jesus do…
The voice of Mary! When She greeted Elizabeth, the mother and the son were filled with the Holy Spirit… How pure and sweet Mary is! How she fulfills in us the mission of her Son from the Cross!
God needs nothing from us. And yet, He does everything for us. How can we repay Him for so much good? How can we make our intention purer? By trying to give back what He gives us? Impossible! He wants us to repay all the good He does for us by doing good to others, thus showing them the closeness of God. What He does for us, He wants us to repay in kind: in others.
But sometimes that task becomes arduous. And that is where pronouncing the name of the Immaculate Virgin Mary… and hearing our name on her lips, helps us in a definitive way.
This always happens, but in a very special way at the moment of temptation: we call her, and she immediately comes to our side: to defend us and to defend her Son who is sheltered in our heart. And then, if we truly realize that she is there, next to us, we feel safe. No one can take away our purity, joy and peace if the Most Pure One, the Cause of our joy and Queen of Peace is next to us. Mary’s purity and humility always confuse and defeat the enemy. And it has never been heard that she has failed to come to the defense of a son who calls upon her. Never!
“He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love” (Ephesians 1:4). And he gives us the means to achieve a goal so unattainable by our own strength. And that is where Mary’s immaculate purity comes in.
This is the great and simple remedy: when we are afraid, and always: call our Mother to our side. Mary! Mother! This is the great remedy to fill hearts with purity, in the streets, at work, in schools, in the media, on social networks… The task is imposing. There, many do not know what they are doing, and that is why they hurt themselves by letting impurity enter their hearts. But Mary has already won this battle, She is our Hope, She will bring Peace back to the hearts of so many confused people, and she will do so with the Triumph of her Immaculate Heart. This is what she promised and this is what she will fulfill (cf. Consecration of the World to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, carried out by Saint John Paul II in Rome on March 25, 1984).
And we can also sing to our Immaculate Mother with the heart of a child, certain that She will like it, because it is a song for the glory of God: “You are purer than the sun, more beautiful than the pearls that the seas hide. Only you among so many mortals were free from the error of Adam (…). And in Heaven a voice repeated: More than you… only God, only God” (Joaquín Díaz, Song).
