“Tota pulchra es Maria!”. With these words the Church addresses the Mother of Christ on today’s Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Mary is the woman preserved from original sin, envisaged and chosen by the Father to become the Mother of the Saviour. In giving a human face to the Son of God, who is “the splendour of the Father’s glory” (St Ambrose), the Blessed Virgin saw shining upon her, as no other creature, the face of the Father rich in grace and mercy.
Thus the Immaculate Conception is an extraordinary gift and an ineffable privilege! As a result, Our Lady, totally preserved from the slavery of evil and the object of God’s special favour, anticipates in her life the path to be taken by the redeemed, the people saved by Christ.
This important Marian feast occurs during Advent, a season of watchful and prayerful preparation for Christmas. She who knew better than anyone how to wait attentively for the Lord guides us and shows us how to make more vital and active our journey to the Holy Night of Bethlehem. With her, we spend these weeks in prayer and, guided by her bright star, hasten to make the spiritual journey that will lead us to celebrate the mystery of the Incarnation with greater intensity.
