Et macula originalis non est in te.
Today, is the second Sunday of advent, and also, so late in the evening the vespers of the great feast we would normally celebrate today, the eighth of December, that of the Immaculate Conception of Our Lady. The two verses in Latin, that I just quoted are part of a longer homonymous hymn to Our Lady, and perfectly communicate the essence of the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Unsurprisingly, these verses also have something to add to our appreciation of the theme for this Mass – 'Go, prepare the way of the Lord'. Translated into English these verses read:
You are most beautiful, Maria
Unmarked by the stain of original sin
These verses capture the gist of the feast; unlike the rest of humanity – after our first parents ate of the forbidden fruit – who are born with the stain of original sin, and whose bodies are indelibly marked by the effect of this sin, Our Lady was born without this stain of sin by a special sanctifying grace from God. The stain of original sin attaches to us from the first moment of our existence, that is; from the moment we are conceived, and to ensure that Our Lady would be a worthy receptacle of God the Son, She was given this grace from the moment of Her conception.
This assertion, a belief of Christians since earliest Christianity, and defined as dogma only after centuries of theological debate and reflection, has certain implications not unrelated to St. Francis Xavier whose relics we in Goa are venerating in the eighteenth decennial exposition.
If death, and the corruption of the body, are the result of the original sin, then Our Lady did not suffer the corruption of her body, at the end of Her time here on earth. Rather, as another Dogma teaches us, she was assumed bodily into heaven. In other words, her body did not rot but was taken – body and soul – straight to heaven, where she enjoys the state that we – or more specifically, the holy – will all enjoy at the end of time, when Our Lord comes in glory.
The more critically minded among you will ask, “why should we believe this dogma?” And this question is not necessarily un-askable, nor is it without answer. Responding in the context of the ongoing exposition, I would point to the incorrupt body of St. Francis Xavier as a reason why we should believe in the dogmas of the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. In the body of Saint Francis Xavier, the Triune God offers us an example of how the body of the holy can be saved from corruption.
And we must remember that St. Francis Xavier is not the only one who was rewarded with an incorrupt body. More recently, there are reports, certified by the diocesan bishop, that the body of Sister Mary Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, the foundress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, who died in 2019, was found to be incorrupt in 2023. As can see, therefore, Our Lord continues to offer examples that go to underscore the truth of the Dogmas taught and proclaimed by Holy Mother Church.
Over the past few days I have been particularly touched by the words of the prayer to Saint Francis Xavier composed in 1977.
Oh devoted servant of God, St. Francis Xavier, your heart was burning with love for Jesus. Impelled by this love, you went from country to country and spent yourself unto death proclaiming the Name of Jesus and the Good News of salvation. That is why the Father filled you with glory in heaven and preserved your body from corruption here on earth. [Italicised emphasis added.]
In other words, it was because of the way he preached the name of Jesus, because he prepared the way for the second coming of the Lord, that Francis Xavier was, like Our Lady, given glory in heaven, and his body preserved from corruption. We must also remember that Our Lady had the distinct honour of preparing the way of the Lord for His first coming, and His second.
Brothers and sisters, the theme chosen for our reflection today, based on the life of St. John the Baptist, whom we heard about in the Gospel is “Go, prepare the way of the Lord.” By virtue of our baptism, we are all called to prepare the way of the Lord for His second coming. There is, however, in both the first and the second reading a subtle teaching that we must be attentive to; in the first reading the Prophet Baruch asks Jerusalem who is in robes of mourning to put on the robes of celebration and prepare for the coming of the God of Israel. As the psalm sings it was “the LORD [that] brought back the captives of Zion.” In other words, it is God’s work that pulls Jerusalem out of mourning. In the second reading St. Paul reminds us that of his confidence “that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus.”
All of this is to say, dear brothers and sisters, that we must prepare the way of the Lord remembering that we were lost before we were saved – lost in "the useless ways of our ancestors," to quote from the first letter of Peter (1:18) – and it is this joy, and indeed gratitude, that must impel us to prepare His way. The love we have for God, is itself a grace given to us. Both Our Lady and Francis Xavier cooperated with the grace that they were given, and for this reason were rewarded, each in their own way. Let us imitate them and cooperate with the graces that have been given to us, preparing, as they did, the way for the Lord, so that we too may gain glory in heaven, and avoid corruption here on earth.
Tota Pulchra es, Maria,
Et macula originalis non est in te,
Ora pro nobis peccatoribus
Nunc et in hora mortis nostrae.
Amen.
(This homily was prepared to be preached before the faithful at the Exposition of the Sacred Relics of St. Francis Xavier on 8 Dec 2024.
Image reference: 'St. Francis before the Mother of God', Giovanni Antonio and Giuseppe Antonio Torricelli, Church of St. Francis Xavier, c.1677 (?) Lucerne, Switzerland)
