Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

I’m not sure how my grandpa is still alive.  The man eats bacon for almost every meal.  I remember having toast at his house one time and he told me you can lay the butter on thick because the bread was sliced thick.  My favorite is that he always ends a meal with “a piece” of pie.  However, by piece he means one quarter of an 8inch pie pan AND places not 1, not 2, but 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.  I guess I should just be happy that my family has good genetics and I hope I have inherited grandpa’s genes.   

We are not slaves to our passions and emotions.  We are not shackling by temptation and sin.  We have the grace; the spiritual genetics to be set free and soar to the heights of holiness and life to the fullest

While grandpa shows me my good family genetics, Mary shows us our good spiritual genetics.  But our spiritual genetics weren’t always so great.  We first inherited the bad genetics of original sin from Adam and Eve.  We inherited the fact that we as human beings usually tend to be selfish.  We try to get what we want and it is easy to ignore the needs of others.  In short, we inherited fallen human nature from Adam and Eve.

Today we celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception and at this conception we receive a new inheritance.  We celebrate that we are sons and daughters of fallen human nature no longer.  Because we have received a new adoption as children of Mary our Immaculate Mother who shows us our fullest potential.  Through her example we see our potential to be set free from the chains of sin and death to sour to the heights of beauty and love.  In short, today we celebrate that we are not just fallen natural beings created for ourselves; we are supernatural beings created for greatness and love.

I can marvel that my grandpa is still alive considering the way he eats.  But I am thankful I have inherited his good genetics.  Today we marvel and Mary who was immaculately conceived without sin, but we also rejoice that we have receive good spiritual genetics from her.  Genetics for holiness, genetics for love and genetics for greatness.