~ The Feast of the Immaculate Conception ~The Solemnity of Mary, on January 1st, feels like an attempt to "baptize" a secular holiday, with limited success. College football games tend to predominate the landscape. And the Assumption falls in the middle of August when many are on vacations or just going, or just getting back. Say it with me: Distractions! But today we can lustily sing "Hail Holy Queen" with as little distraction as our poor human nature allows.
There's something wonderful about the timing, always in the beginning of Advent. The latest Word Among Us quotes Francis Carvajal:
"The spirit of Advent largely consists in living close to our Lady during the time she is carrying Jesus in her womb."The Assumption is not as surprising as the Immaculate Conception. The preservation of Mary from Original Sin is, well, quite original post-Fall. There had been others possibly assumed into Heaven (Enoch and Elijah come to mind) but no one born post-Adam & Eve without the taint of sin. This is something to celebrate and savor and all the more so because of Mary's response to her wealth. Speaking of Mary's Magnificat, Joyce Rupp writes,
"In her canticle of praise, Mary acknowledges she is special in God's eyes, but she does not consider herself better than others. On the contrary, Mary continues her prayerful song by focusing on the mercy and compassion of God. "Update: Philokalia Republic quotes Balthasar "Denial of the Immaculate Conception, then, is the very apogee of the Pelagian heresy!"
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