My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a feast that is dear to the heart of every Filipino: The Immaculate Conception. I...
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a feast that is dear to the heart of every Filipino: The Immaculate Conception. It is a day of great joy because it reminds us that God’s plan for our salvation started long before we were even born. To help us reflect on this mystery, let us look at three words that start with the letter F: Favor, Fiat, and Fulfillment.
The first word is Favor. In the Gospel, the Angel Gabriel greets Mary with a title that has echoed through centuries: "Hail, full of grace!" In some translations, this is rendered as "highly favored one." But what does it mean to find favor with God? It does not mean a life of ease or luxury. For Mary, this favor meant being chosen for a task that would pierce her heart. It meant being preserved from original sin not for her own glory, but for a mission—to become the pure vessel for the Son of God. Look at your own lives. We often think God’s favor is found in winning the lottery or getting a promotion. But true favor is God equipping you with the grace to be holy in a world that is often not. Like Mary, you are favored not because of what you do, but because of whose you are. You are God’s beloved.
The second word is Fiat. This is the Latin word for Mary’s answer: "Let it be done." Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum. Eve, in the First Reading, grasped at power. She wanted to be like God on her own terms. Mary, the New Eve, did the opposite. She surrendered. She didn't understand everything the angel was saying. "How can this be?" she asked. But her question wasn't born of doubt; it was born of wonder. And in the end, she gave her Fiat. In our culture, we are often taught to be aggressive, to take control. But the Immaculate Conception teaches us the power of surrender. When we say "Yes" to God—even when it’s difficult, even when the path is unclear—we allow Him to birth something beautiful in our lives. Your Fiat today might be forgiving a family member, staying honest in your business, or simply trusting God with your anxieties.
The third word is Fulfillment. The First Reading from Genesis gives us the Protoevangelium, the "first gospel." God promises that the offspring of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. For thousands of years, humanity waited for this promise. In Mary, that wait is over. She is the fulfillment of Israel's hope and the beginning of the new creation. But this fulfillment is also for us. Mary is the "image of the Church to be." What she is now—sinless, full of grace, in total union with God—is what we are all destined to be in Heaven. She is the proof that God keeps His promises.
So, as we honor our Mama Mary today, let us ask for her intercession. May we recognize God's Favor in our lives, have the courage to speak our Fiat, and trust in the ultimate Fulfillment of His plans for us.
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