Daily Mass Gospel Reflection - Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Friends, today we celebrate
the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

In 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception—the truth that Mary,
through a special grace, was preserved free from original sin
from the first moment of her conception.
Were this not the case, the angel would not have referred to her
at the Annunciation as kecharitomene (full of grace).
Why would God do such a thing?
And wouldn’t this imply that Mary does not need to be redeemed?

The traditional answer is that God wanted to prepare a worthy vessel for the reception of his Word.
Just as the Holy of Holies in the temple was kept pure and inviolate,
so the true Ark of the Covenant, which is Mary herself,
should all the more be untrammeled.

Bl. John Duns Scotus explained that Mary is indeed redeemed by the grace of her Son,
but since that grace exists outside of time,
it can be applied in a way that transcends the ordinary rhythms of time.
Therefore, Mary, by a kind of preemptive strike,
was delivered by Christ’s grace from original sin.

+++The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.+++

[T]he angel ... referred to her at the Annunciation as kecharitomene (full of grace).
"Full of grace" is a translation of the Latin gratia plena, not the Greek κεχαριτωμένη, transliterated here as kecharitomene.

kecharitomene is built on the Greek radical meaning 'grace' but the form here is a perfect passive participle and means something along the lines of she who has been and is being fully transformed by grace.

When man names someone in Scripture, the name usually tells us something about the origin of the one being named or that person's role in the narrative. For example, after Adam finished naming all the animals in the Garden but didn't find a suitable mate, God put Adam into a deep sleep and formed a mate for him from a rib in his side. When Adam awoke, he called her woman and declared here to be flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone. It wasn't until after the fall that she was named Eve, indicating that she was to be mother of all the living.

OTOH, when God names someone in scripture, the name tells us something about the person's inner being. In Lk 1:28, God's messenger Gabriel addresses Mary by the name God gives her, kecharitomene, and that God-given name is the basis for the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.