Advent Leads Us to Jesus Through Mary

In just a few short weeks Advent will culminate in the celebration of Christmas, the birth of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. But before that happens, there is one key figure who plays an instrumental role in bringing about the coming of the Word made Flesh through God’s grand and divine plan… It is Mary, who gave her “yes” (fiat) to the angel Gabriel nine months earlier to become the Mother of God (Lk. 1:26-38). Mary was Virgin and Mother, and she was there at Jesus’ birth, his death, and much in between. Amazing as that is, Mary doesn’t look to herself, but humbly points to her Son, Jesus as the Savior for she said to the servers at the Wedding Feast of Cana, “Do whatever he (Jesus) tells you” (Jn. 2:5). Mary is not only humble, but “full of grace” (Lk. 1:28). How did this grace come about? It was a free, generous and loving gift bestowed upon Mary by Almighty God. This leads us to the first of two Marian feasts before Christmas.

1. The first is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception which we celebrate on Dec. 8th. Though it was believed and taught through the Tradition of the Church, Pope Pius IX formally declared the third Marian dogma of the Church in 1854 to be Mary’s Immaculate Conception in which she was conceived without original sin.

2. The second Marian feast is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe which we celebrate on Dec. 12th. Though it is on a Saturday this year, we will celebrate it at the Our Lady of Guadalupe site on Friday, Dec. 11th at 9am. The simplified version of the event is that in 1531 Mary, known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared to (St.) Juan Diego in what is now Mexico City. She asked that he pick roses (which were out of season), place them in his tilma or cloak and present them before the bishop. When the roses fell out of the tilma in front of the bishop, a miraculous image appeared on the tilma, which for almost five hundred years has miraculously stood the test of time and skepticism. The image on the tilma, even with the latest technology is beyond scientific explanation and remains a mystery. Though there is much more to the story, and I encourage you to do further reading. Today the tilma is encased and enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

• Quick Quiz – Without looking in your phone, on Google or in a book, what are the other three Marian dogmas (having already mentioned the Immaculate Conception in point # 1)?
• Hint: A couple of them were mentioned in the opening paragraph, one of which we celebrate as a Solemnity on New Year’s Day. The fourth Marian dogma is less than 70 years old. Think about it, and stay tuned next week for the answers.

In Jesus Through Mary,
Fr. Jeff