Feast of the Immaculate Conception
There was a fashion for a while to scoff at the very idea of the Immaculate Conception of Mary--a fashion, I think, from those who thought they were too smart to believe such stuff of poetry.
One such scoffer, a bestselling author who has a background similar to my own (we attended the same all girls Catholic Academy) told me she is annoyed with the teaching of the Immaculate Conception because it implies that Mary is better than us.
Imagine that, the Mother of Our Lord, better than us!!
Frankly, I was dumbfounded by that bit of reasoning from someone I thought had a big enough brain to overcome postmodern Catholic university intellectual fashion.
Remember when Moses was harangued by his group of grumbling nomads (who, having escaped from Pharaoh, built a golden calf to worship while Moses was communing with YAHWEH and receiving ten very sensible commandments to help this disparate group become a people) demanded to see YAHWEH themselves? Who did Moses think he was anyway to be the only one able to be in the presence of the Almighty?
Harrumph!!
So Moses badgered YAHWEH, who was worn down with the whining (think of Jesus and his parable of the importunate widow) so YAHWEH finally agreed to pass by the gathered people to quiet their ignorant complaining.
What happened? Were the gathered people able to stand the glorious unimaginable purity of the Almighty? Of course not! They screamed in agony and begged Moses to tell YAHWEH to leave. They could not bear such transcendent beauty and power. It was their sin that stood between them and God, between them and the beatific vision. (Cue the teaching on Purgatory.)
So how could a regular person, a regular sinful person carrying the stain of Original Sin, plus all the other petty sins we accumulate bear to carry in her womb the Divine Child?
It is not poetry which persuades, but lived human logic and observation of fault ridden humanity which testifies to the teaching that the Mother of Our Lord had to pure, had to be immaculate, to carry such purity.
Imagine that, the Mother of Our Lord, better than us!!
Frankly, I was dumbfounded by that bit of reasoning from someone I thought had a big enough brain to overcome postmodern Catholic university intellectual fashion.
Remember when Moses was harangued by his group of grumbling nomads (who, having escaped from Pharaoh, built a golden calf to worship while Moses was communing with YAHWEH and receiving ten very sensible commandments to help this disparate group become a people) demanded to see YAHWEH themselves? Who did Moses think he was anyway to be the only one able to be in the presence of the Almighty?
Harrumph!!
So Moses badgered YAHWEH, who was worn down with the whining (think of Jesus and his parable of the importunate widow) so YAHWEH finally agreed to pass by the gathered people to quiet their ignorant complaining.
What happened? Were the gathered people able to stand the glorious unimaginable purity of the Almighty? Of course not! They screamed in agony and begged Moses to tell YAHWEH to leave. They could not bear such transcendent beauty and power. It was their sin that stood between them and God, between them and the beatific vision. (Cue the teaching on Purgatory.)
So how could a regular person, a regular sinful person carrying the stain of Original Sin, plus all the other petty sins we accumulate bear to carry in her womb the Divine Child?
It is not poetry which persuades, but lived human logic and observation of fault ridden humanity which testifies to the teaching that the Mother of Our Lord had to pure, had to be immaculate, to carry such purity.
Beautifully stated! I hope many, many nay sayers about Our Lady will read this.
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