Daily reflection _ a reflection of life

A REFLECTION OF LIFE
By God's grace she was freed and empowered, from the first moment of her existence, to be utterly open to love.  
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
I have read obituaries that had been written by the deceased person themselves. Perhaps they had a terrible disease and knew it was terminal; even obituaries written by someone who was still at a young age. In these short stories of their lives we hear words of gratitude for a full, meaningful life, satisfying work, long, loving relationships and friendships. I'm sure they suffered great pain during their lifetime, and many of us also have some very difficult or bad days. But in the end, bitterness had no place in their final act of self-expression.
They declared that relationships were ultimately the most important thing, and they encouraged those of us reading their last message to "go out and create moments that will take your breath away." This is an example of how a life can have coherence, how the pure essence of a person's being can unfold and blossom over time, how what is present from the beginning can manifest itself and bear fruit. I imagine these people are those who lived wholeheartedly, who, in spite of tremendous challenges, said "yes" to their own unique and unrepeatable lives.
The Immaculate Conception is an attempt to say the same thing about Mary. Her life was held together and carried forward by her complete assent to the task she was given. By God's grace she was freed and empowered, from the first moment of her existence, to be utterly open to love. Some people may feel confused or even repelled by the adjective "immaculate", as if Mary's purity or spotlessness are comparative terms by which the rest of humanity is found unworthy or befouled. This is a sad misunderstanding that Mary herself would not support.
The hard working girl of the Magnificat was clearly never interested in setting herself above or against other people, and she obviously did not consider bodily existence demeaning or contaminating. She lived the life she was given, with integrity and presence, doing the ordinary work of running a household, raising a child, caring for and enjoying family and neighbors. As a transparent vessel of the perfect love of God, she functioned not apart from, but within, the rhythms and limits of normal human existence.
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they immediately experienced the consequences of their actions - separation from the God Who loves them. God, in His mercy, promised them a Redeemer Who would pay the price for their sin and the sins of the whole world. We see the marvelous unfolding of God's plan of redemption in the events leading up to the Incarnation and the birth of the Messiah. Mary's prompt response of "yes" to the Divine message is the model of faith for all.
Neither Jesus nor Mary shuddered at the thought of being human, even though God knows it is a hard task indeed. Life on earth is difficult in an infinite variety of ways. We are weak, vulnerable and easily confused. We disappoint ourselves and are subject to the betrayals, mistakes, and harmful actions of others. We suffer pain and the deep spiritual consequences of our individual and collective sinfulness. Life is very messy. Yet Jesus chose to enter into human existence fully, and He did so through the body of a woman. In doing so, He affirmed the blessedness of life and the goodness of the body, not just in general but in particular. Every life, every body, has infinite value, belongs to God and is tenderly loved by God.
Mary's Immaculate Conception is simply an extension of the Incarnation. She was preserved in perfection by and for the sake of her Son. And just as His Incarnation was for our sake, so her purity is for us as well. She endures as a model of living and a loving guide for us as we stumble through this existence, which often does indeed seem to be a vale of tears. In darkness we long for light; in our wounding we yearn for healing. And in ordinary, everyday choices we make, in our attempts to live and love responsibly and wisely, she accompanies us. From her we can learn how to keep taking the next necessary step, how to keep saying yes to the unique requirements of life, how to live with integrity and coherence, and how to reach for the only perfection that matters: the perfection of love!