DATE : 8/12/2020, Tuesday of the 2nd week of Advent Year (B)
EVENT : The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Solemnity)
COLOUR: WHITE
READINGS : Genesis 3:9-15,20; Resp. Psalm 97:1-4; Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12; Luke 1:26-38.
THEME: IMMACULATE CONCEPTION: PREDESTINATION OR PREDETERMINISM
Greetings beloved people of God. I welcome you to "My Catholic Homily Digest". On this Eight day of December in which we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I wish to reflect with us on the theme: " Immaculate Conception: Predestination or Predeterminism". Beloved, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which we celebrate today teaches that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from the stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception in the womb of her mother, St Anne. This was a singular privilege and grace of God, granted her in view of the merits of Jesus Christ. The doctrine also teaches that from the moment her soul was created and infused into her body, it was free from original sin and filled with sanctifying grace. Hence, her soul was never stained by original sin, nor by the depraved emotions, passions, and weaknesses consequent on that sin namely concupiscence. But created in a state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice. She had at least the graces of the first Eve before the Fall and more. This privilege was befitting the one who was to be mother of the Redeemer.
Although devotions and belief in the Immaculate conception have been going on among the faithful right from the earliest centuries, it was Blessed Pope Pius IX, who defined it as a Dogmatic teaching on the 8th of December 1854. This Doctrine is in accord with the texts of Scripture (Genesis 3), "I will put enmities between thee (the serpent), and the woman, and thy seed and her seed", and the greetings of the Angel Gabriel of Luke 1, "Hail Mary, full of grace." Thus, since God has already decided to save the world through the death of his Son, it is apt that he should prepare before hand, a worthy and immaculately pure vessel to house and incubate Him when he comes. The question that this doctrine poses is this: if God preserved Mary through the singular merit of Christ's death, then does Mary have any right to claim holiness since she was filled with grace and did not partake of the stain of concupiscence (the inclination to sin), which we all struggle with? Since God foresaw the destiny of Christ, Does the Church believe in Predestination or predeterminism?
Beloved, due to want of time and space, I shall briefly comment on these questions and then draw my homiletic lessons for us. Firstly we must know that the highest gifts that God has given to man is 'free-will'. It is this freewill that gives us the will power to choose good or evil. So, although, God filled Mary with grace and prevented her from sharing of the stain of the original sin, he did not take away her freewill. So, she could have still chosen to rebel against God like Adam and evil who were also gifted with initial holiness and without the stain of sin did. She could have used her freewill to refuse to be the mother of God, when the angel Gabriel gave her the news of her virginal birth as we read in today's Gospel, Luke 1:26-38. But no, she freely consented and cooperated with the grace of God upon her life. So, she can lay claims to personal holiness.
On the issues of predestination or predeterminism, we must know that what the Church believes and teaches is predestination and never predeterminism, which is against human freewill. The Church opposes the Doctrine of predeterminism which is the belief that all events that occur in a persons life have already been determined, so the person cannot choose to do otherwise. These doctrine undermines the human freewill. But predestination which the Church believes in, teaches that although everything that will occur in a person's life have been foreordained by God, and God knows all the numerous possibilities and end results of a persons choice, He does not condition the freewill to any one choice, but allows the person to exercise his freedom and so reap the fruit or consequences of his actions. So, why a person cannot be held accountable in predeterminism, he can be held accountable in predestination. Thus, although God ordained Christ to save mankind by dying on the cross, Jesus freely willed and accepted his destiny when he said at Gethsemane, not my will, but your will be done (Matt. 26:39).
Listen to me child of God, like Mary, God has poured abundant grace upon us in Jesus Christ, (Cf.John 1:16), and he has ordained us to fulfil a particular purpose in life. So, just like Mary, we need to cooperate with the grace of God upon our lives, and since God cannot force us to do His will and plans for us, we need to constantly choose to do the will of God, for his will is the best for us.
Do not be afraid for you will be remembered in my priestly prayers throughout this month. God bless you
#End Sars,
#End Political Oppression
#End Bad Governance
Oh that today you would listen to his voice harden not your hearts (Ps.95:7-8)
LET US PRAY :Lord Jesus, grant me the grace to cooperate with the plan of God for my life so that constantly my will shall be aligned to the will of God for my life ......
The Lord be with you....... and with your Spirit.
May Almighty God bless you the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit......Amen
@ Fada Emmanuel Nnamdi Megwara, MSP. ⛪
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