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What Exactly Is the Immaculate Conception All About?

By Student Preacher Julia Overmyer ’23 (River Forest, IL)

Good Morning! We are gathered here this morning to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. If I were to ask everyone in this auditorium what they thought the Immaculate Conception was, there would be at least one person, if not more, that would say it is the celebration of the miracle birth of Jesus. Up until a while ago, I would have said the same thing. All I knew was that Mr. Mulcahey said that Catholics believed in it, but the Protestants did not. However, this feast day celebrates something different, someone different. Today we honor Mary. The woman who not only brought God into this world, but who very importantly was chosen by God to be born without sin. 

My Mom has a phrase that she likes to tell both my sister and me. She says, “You are going to end up where you are meant to be, because God chose this path for you.” When I tell you I have heard this phrase applied to pretty much everything, I mean it. From the little things like my placement in a certain class, to the bigger things like what my life will be like in the future, my Mom would repeat it to me. The amount of times I heard this expression during the college application process was probably an all-time record. I can’t seem to escape it.

Yet, no matter how many times my Mom says this phrase to me, I consistently find it hard to understand. If God chose me to do something, if He has a plan for me, then why do I even bother trying to live out the life that seems to be predetermined for me? As much as I don’t like to admit, my dislike for this phrase comes from my fear of the unknown. Being afraid of what we don’t know is a natural instinct. Not knowing what lies ahead, whether being something unfamiliar or possibly dangerous, can ignite unease within us. However, we shouldn’t let this fear prevent us from pursuing our goals. 

In today’s Gospel of Luke, we hear of the angel Gabriel coming to Mary to tell her she will bear a son. Luke writes, “And coming to her, he said, ‘Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.’ But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.”

What strikes me as interesting in this passage is Mary’s response to the angel Gabriel. The Gospel says that Gabriel appearing in her room was not the thing that scared her, but it was what he had spoken to her. She questioned Gabriel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace.” To us, we don’t see how this could be a fearful phrase, for we often repeat it when reciting the Hail Mary. However, to a 15-year-old Mary, being hailed and filled with God’s gift of grace by an angel in the middle of the night, was pretty terrifying. Yet she chose to place her faith in God’s plan over her fear of the unknown.

God chose her, even before she was born, to receive this message and fulfill this revelation. God brought Mary into this world without the pains of original sin so she could have Jesus. And although she did not know what was to come, Mary overcame her fear with faith. 

Like Mary, we are all chosen by God to lead a certain life. The gifts that God has given us — being His grace and free will — aid us to follow our path of life. Even Mary, the mother of Jesus, was worried about God’s plan for her. Yet her undeniable faith in God not only allowed for her to accept His plan, but gave her a sense of peace. We should all strive to be like Mary; accepting God’s chosen plan for us, and conquering our fears. So I ask you to remember today and all days that we are each chosen by God to follow a certain purpose in our lives. Whether grand or small, for many or for one, God has chosen every single one of us to be what this world needs.

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Learning to Trust in God’s Plan

Fenwick student preacher reflects on how he found extra stamina to finish strong in the biggest cross-country run of his life last month.

By Lee O’Bryan ’22 (La Grange, IL)

Today we celebrate mass in honor of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This feast is about the unique way Mary was born, without original sin. This was necessary for her to be the Mother of Jesus. This sinlessness is why she was so open to and trusting of God’s plan. Mary understood what it meant to trust God. She lived that way throughout her entire life.

While I am not sinless, I have learned how to trust in God’s plan. A little over a month ago is my best example of this. This was the State Championship Race that Cross Country won. At the time we did not know if we would win though. All we did know was that we had trained extremely hard and consistently for the last nine months. And, as you could imagine, I was nervous. Our team was ranked number one — and had been for a while — but that didn’t mean we would win state. All it meant was we could win state. We would have to perform to our max on November 6th if we wanted the win. 

Then I heard something in Theology class that comforted me. It was a Hindu quote that said, “You have the right to the action, not the fruits of the action.” I thought about this and how it applied to my life. My teammates and I had done all of the training we could, and now we had to let go and let God’s plan take over. I was less nervous once I trusted in God because I knew, whether we won or lost, it was what God meant to happen.

Lee and his state champion Friar XC teammates in Peoria, IL, on November 6, 2021.

On the day of the race I prayed to God for him to help me be strong, help me to never give up, and to let me accept whatever the result was. As it went on, the race did not go how I imagined it would. I went out fast, as I planned, but after the first mile, I was drained; for almost the next two miles, I tanked. I was supposed to be way faster if we were to win. I was even passed by my little brother. I didn’t feel physically or mentally strong enough to finish with a fast sprint. All of these people kept slipping by me. When two runners passed me from the schools that were most likely to beat us, I tried my hardest to go with them and I held on for about 30 seconds and then I faded away.

With about a quarter of a mile left in the race, something I don’t fully understand happened. Suddenly, it felt like someone pushed me to start sprinting. My thinking rapidly changed. I was now saying in my head “this is worth it;” “I can do this.” Every second after that I was passing other racers. I noticed those rival runners from earlier, and I decided I was going to pass them, no matter how much it hurt. I did catch them and, although one of them resurged to pass me back, he was the only person in that last stretch to pass me at all.

I trusted God’s plan that day and it allowed me to relax and not focus on the outcome, but rather focus on giving my best. I also believe that I had opened myself to God and allowed him to give me a boost of confidence when I needed it the most at the end of the race.

Being open and trusting in God’s plan is something we all can do as Friars. Whatever sport or club that you are in, you can do just what Mary did throughout her whole life. Focus on doing your best, not on what will happen at the end. Because, whether in the moment you are happy with it or not, it will be beneficial for you in the long run. It is the same thing with academics: Study until you truly know the material and, when you are tested, try your hardest. This may take you on a path that you didn’t plan to go on, but it will be the one God wants you to take.

God’s plan has taken me to places I never expected. He can do the same for you. You just need to follow Mary’s example. That is, if you do your best and are open to God, he will take you where you are meant to be.