Page 82 - Carrollton 2018

2~he Solemnity of the Jinmaculate Conception

Good Afternoon Mr. Kalkus, administration, students, faculty, and staff.
My name is Isabella Isaza and I feel blessed and honored to give this reflection on the
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.

The Immaculate Conception is actually the story before the story. It is the story of the
conception o f Mary herself by which God s grace granted that she be blessed with
the gift of being born without original sin. It is the story that sets in motion, what would
become the story of salvation for Christians and all humankind.

In the gospel of Luke, there are two very important verses that stand out for me. The first
was said by the Angel Gabriel when he visited Mary and announced to her, "Do not be
afraid, you have found favor with God." The second one can be found toward the end of
the gospel reading, when Mary exclaims, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it
be done to me according to your word.”
These two quotes show the importance of faith in God and Gods own grace within us.
Faith could be compared to a seed; a seed planted in us by God without us having to
ask for it. This seed is the seed of God's Grace. As we mature and grow, we must water
and nourish our seed, so that it grows with us.

None of us in this room were born perfect, as the gospels ensures us that Mary was, but
her perfection did mean she was programmed to do exactly as she was told. Her state of
perfect grace is what allowed her to fully accept God's plan and say, "I am the handmaid
of the Lord, May it be done to me according to your wOrd." No one will ever be asked
to carry the weight of the world again; Mary was asked to bring God into this world,
which is why she was graced with the perfect seed. It gave her the absolute strength
and courage she needed to say yes. The decision was never made for her, nor was she
forced to say yes- she agreed, willingly, and that is the beauty of it all.

Now, we have also been gifted by God with the seeds of faith, hope, and love..
These virtues that we have been blessed with, we did nothing to deserve them, and
we did nothing to earn them; God graced us with them. But, like Mary, we have to
acknowledge and accept that God's own strength and love is inside o f us and choose to
live through it everyday.

We must also take into consideration that this is easier Said than done ; it s our everyday
choices that lead us closer to fully embracing that we are worthy of God's love, grace,
and Strength. It s our everyday choices that bring us closer to accepting that we are
greater than the obstacles that we are faced with as well as the challenges we face
along the way. Often, it is so much easier to believe the opposite—that we aren't strong
enough, good enough and that we aren't capable.

I want to share a piece of a poem with you that I believe, best encapsulates the moral of
the message I aim to portray. In Marianne Williamson's "Our Greatest Fear”, she writes:

It is our light not our darkness that most frightens, us
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.

So, I challenge you. Choose to accept God s strength. His grace, and His love. Choose
to water and nourish those seeds that were so freely and intentionally planted within us.
Choose to follow the example of Mary's strength and courage. Because it is only when
we accept these gifts as our own, can they grow and flourish, so that wo may become
the brilliant, breathing miracles God Created us to be. And once we do this.... "once we
let our light shine, we give others permission to do the same."

•Thank you.

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