Coleman-Morse: Chapel of Notre Dame, Our Mother

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1)

Today our journey brings us to the chapel of Coleman-Morse. To the right, you will see a beautiful mosaic image of Notre Dame, Our Mother.

Today is the day we celebrate not Jesus’ miraculous beginning in Mary’s womb, but rather we celebrate the meaning of Gabriel’s greeting to Mary. Gabriel calls Mary “full of grace,” because Mary, immaculately conceived, was perfectly open to God’s will, making her able to receive God’s Son.

Throughout our lives, each of us wrestles with the decision to either turn ourselves over to God, accepting God’s plan for the world and our lives, or to follow our own wills—our own desires, our own plan. This tension is known as original sin. Mary, however, was preserved from original sin through a grace known as her Immaculate Conception. Thus, from the youngest age, Mary was perfectly open to God’s plan. She was then able to receive the news of God’s plan for her with perfect acceptance, a perfect consent, totally accepting whatever request God made of her.

On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, how can we imitate Mary’s total acceptance of whatever circumstances God sends?