IMMACULATE

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Immaculate.”

“Immaculate” is a word – a concept – that we usually only use when we talk about this feast of the Immaculate Conception.

This title – this teaching – this statement – this concept - brings us to some very mysterious and intricate God stuff.

Mary is the Mother of Jesus.  People don’t scratch their head with that statement – but once you hear the scriptures stressing her virginity – becoming pregnant by the power of the Spirit – then inner intellectual “uh oh’s!” start sounding.

Mary is also called “Mother of God”  – because we believe Jesus is God – and therefore – we also call Mary, the Mother of God.

Then when we move backwards in time – and we hear the statement that Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without sin – we wonder what that means. This statement that Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin – an immaculate conception – moves us further into some complicated concepts and theology.

I would think this is why this dogma of describing Mary being conceived in her mother’s womb – free from Original Sin - as an “Immaculate Conception” wasn’t announced and pronounced as a Church teaching till 1854.

It’s important to note that there have been theologians and Christian writers on both sides of the question when it comes to Mary’s maculate or immaculate conception in her mother’s womb.

Theologians and Christian writers from way back said this she was without stain. Others – like St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Albert the Great, St. Thomas Aquinas did not hold this.

MACULATE AND IMMACULATE

I was wondering if the word “immaculate”  would be around without this feast of the Immaculate Conception.

Okay we use the word “immaculate” to describe a kitchen – after all the dishes are out of the sink  - put into the dish washer – or back in the cabinets. Everything is put away. There is a clean empty bag in the plastic garbage can. The kitchen is, “Immaculate.”

EARLIER TITLE: DESCRIBING MARY AS MOTHER OF GOD

In trying to come up with some words about all of this in a homily for this feast day – I realized we need to hear 2 things for starters.  We need to hear that Mary was described from near the beginning as Mother of God. We also need to hear that various other folks had some doubts about what can be said about Mary.

It needs to be stated that Origen – who died in 253 or 254 called Mary “Theotokas” – translated into English, “Mother of God”.

So too Athanasius – who died in 373 – saw Mary as “Theotokas” as well.

So too Cyril of Alexandria – who  died in 444 – spoke of Mary as “Theotokas”.

The Counsel of Ephesus 431 declared Nestorius wrong – when he said we can call Mary – “Christokos” – but not  “Theotokos”.

Many Christians – think that title “Mother of God” is wrong. They add that Mary is not God. Correct. They then say Catholics are worshipping Mary as God. Wrong. We Catholics don’t say that, don’t teach that. We teach that we honor Mary. We praise Mary. We ask her for help. We name churches and schools after her – but she is not God. Yet, she is called – not just Mother of Jesus – but “Mother of God” because Jesus is one person – with 2 natures.

SOME KEY COMMENTS

Let me make a few key comments.

Before formulating questions about Mary, we ought to line up various comments and wonderings about Jesus’ makeup.

First of all – like Mary – we accept the reality that Jesus was human. There was a historic Jesus Christ.  So there was a Julius Caesar and an Alexander the Great.  So too there was a historic person named “Mary”.

Secondly we believe with most Christians that Jesus is God.

So we accept and  believe those two realities about Jesus. He is both human and divine and also human.

It took centuries for the Church to come up with language and theology – that is, “God Words” to state what we believe what was Jesus like to the best of our ability.

During those centuries of our Church there were arguments and discussions and disagreements – different and differing articulations – of how God is and how Christ is – how the Trinity is – how the Holy Spirit is – how Jesus could have a divine as well as having a human nature..

In 325 – at the Council of Nicea – it was stated that Jesus is one person – the second person in God – the Trinity – who is 3 persons – one God. All 3 persons – are equal – all at the same time – forever and ever - before and before God is  – forever – without beginning, without end.

This is inconceivable – meaning we can’t conceive how this is – 3 persons in one God. 

We can conceive of one God. We can figure out there is a God behind all there is – God the Maker, God the Creator. God the Engineer, God the Artist.

When we see a painting on a wall – we can logically, rationally, conceive – and then put into words and thoughts – that there is an artist who made – painted – conceived – came up with this painting. 

What that creator is like – personality like – we don’t know. We can guess some things about him or her or even they – but usually one person – from the painting on the wall. She likes blue or nature scenes. He likes shapes. She likes small pictures. He likes big paintings. So we can conceive things about the universe maker – by looking at creation.

God is Amazing. The universe as we see it – is 15 billion years old or sense.  There are billions of stars. There are billions of mosquitoes. There are billions of people on this planet.

That’s God the Creator.

Next comes the great mystery of Jesus. God could have come anyway he wanted to come.

We who have faith – we who have heard the story of Jesus  - accept the story that in time Jesus is born.

We believe that God picked Mary. Why? Mystery?

In time our church said God made the Mother of Jesus immaculate – without original sin – way before Jesus’ birth and bursting onto the planet.

Why? Why did God go the way he went – born as a baby somewhere near the year 0000? Why? Mystery.

Spiritual writers, theologians tried to give reasons.

For Jesus I like the poetic and enigmatic explanation about Jesus in the opening chapter of the Gospel of John.

We read it at Christmas time.

When you have time, read John 1: 1-18.

CONCLUSION: MY BEST EXPLANATION FOR DESCRIBING THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

Let me close by giving my best explanation for the Immaculate Conception.

Parents make that room for their first child – perfect. I don’t know about the 4^th child. 

This feast is saying, God made Mary the very best – for Christ who was to come in his time.

So when Mary was conceived by her parents – God made her the best – the best woman he could see.

I believe that’s the best way to explain the Immaculate Conception.