Joke: Sophia and Hannah are discussing the best ways to make their young sons finish their meals. Sophia says, “As an Italian mother, I put on a fierce look and say to Primo, ‘If you don’t finish your meal, I’m going to kill you.’ It works most of the time.” “Well, as a Jewish mother, I look at my Isaac in his eyes and say, ‘If you don’t eat the meal, I’ve slaved over all day, I’m going to kill myself.’ It works every time.”

Today, the church celebrates the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is not about killing her son or herself. It is not about her virginity either, but rather it is about the moment Saint Ann conceived Mary in her womb in her old age. It is in God’s will that Mary conceived without original sin. It is not only Mary conceived without original sin, but it is also in God’s will that Eve is brought into being without original sin. However, it is disobedience that one is expelled from Eternity, and the other is received back to Eternity. How does it come about? What causes this separation?

In the book of Genesis, some verses before today’s first reading, there is a conversation between the serpent and Eve, as the serpent says to Eve, “You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” Has the serpent told Eve the truth? Yes, but only half of the truth. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, as it is described in today’s first reading, she didn’t die, and neither her eyes closed. Her eyes were wide open, and she discovered that she was naked. Was she naked before? Yes. However, she wasn’t ashamed of her nakedness until she disobeyed God to eat the forbidden fruit. Her eyes were wide open, but had she been like God? Absolutely no. This is the tricky part of the temptation that the serpent presented to Eve. Eve wanted to become like God so she was expelled from the garden. Is it a story of a long time ago? If we examine our life, this is a story of every time and every age. Examining our moments of temptation such as cheating, lying, smoking, drinking, abusing, lust, and a lot more, are these temptations presented to us only half of the truth? We can ease our pain, our suffering, our anxiety, and our struggle for only a moment when we use drugs, alcohol, smoking, and others.

Mary, on the other hand, the angel Gabriel, after the greeting, said to Mary in today’s Gospel, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a son … Son of the Most High … his kingdom there will be no end.” The serpent’s invitation to Eve to eat the forbidden fruit is pleasing to the eyes, while Gabriel’s invitation to Mary is frightening. However, the response of Mary is completely different and opposite to Eve's saying ‘yes’ to the angel to follow God’s will, while Eve’s response is to go against God’s will by eating that fruit that God forbids.

Brothers and sisters, we are not animals with intelligence nor angels, but human beings with body and soul. Who are Eve and Mary? They are exactly like us, human beings. However, one responded with obedience and faithfully pondering and living God’s will, the other did not. One responded with humility and accepted the lowly creature of God, the other did not. And above all, one responded to the Holy Will by surrendering her life completely to God as she said in today’s Gospel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” the other did not. The question for us to examine ourselves in celebrating the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is, what have we responded to the Lord in our Christian life? Have we allowed ourselves to be attracted by the material possessions and powered gain that somehow our society, our family, or our neighbors are morally degrading, or have we surrendered our lives to God’s will to accept, seek help, and move on with God’s grace whatever that struggles us, that brings us stress and anxiety, that brings us separation and hatred, and many other tricks that the devils might manipulate and get us into trouble? Just as Mary reverses the sin of Eve by her total obedience to the will of God, have we had enough courage and strength to reverse the sins that we have committed? Or we are just like Eve, are temptations presented to us so pleasing to our eyes and attractive to our flesh that we just dive into it instead of going against it? Both Eve and Mary were in favor of God’s will to be created without a stain of sin from the beginning, we are in God’s favor, and through baptism, we have washed away from our original sin. Without original sin through baptism, have you and I tried to follow the Lord’s teaching to avoid temptations, or have we allowed ourselves tempted by the devil to go against God’s will for us? Eve was expelled from the heavenly garden because of her disobedience, have you ever experienced isolation from God and one another? What causes this separation? How should you restore it? The decision is yours.