Immaculate Conception

In Christianity, the doctrine of Immaculate Conception deals with the sanctity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (peace be upon her) and the fact that she was born free and pure of all taint, born without original sin.  The Immaculate Conception itself has nothing to do with the birth of Jesus, instead it is linked specifically to Mary.  When the angel approaches Mary, he salutes her with, “Hail, full of grace.”  Because of this statement, and the fact that Mary was “full of grace” at the time of the angel’s approach, before the birth of Jesus, Christian doctrine has established in the past several hundred years that indeed Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born in a pure state.  Otherwise, how would she become full of grace, since in Christianity every descendant of Adam is born with original sin?

I was really interested to find that this concept of the complete purity of not only Jesus but also of Mary, i.e. Immaculate Conception, is found in Islam as well.  In Martin Lings’ Muhammad, there is a hadith where the Prophet is quoted as saying, “Satan toucheth every son of Adam the day his mother beareth him, save only Mary and her son.”  Note that the hadith includes both Jesus, son of Mary, who is generally known to be of utmost purity of soul and spirit, and is given the title RuhAllah, the Spirit of God, and also Mary herself, hinting that she was also safeguarded from the any sort of corruption and was, throughout her life, inherently pure.

It’s nice to see some more common ground between Islam and Christianity and hopefully this can open the way to a greater understanding and respect of both traditions.

Musings on the current world.

So as I’m coming back to my friend’s dorm after having gone out for a 3 am snack, we’re driving around the parking lot looking for a space to park when we’re confronted by a luminous crescent floating serenely in a sea of darkness, dominating the sky above.  No stars shone around, there was nothing that could distract from it’s utter majesty, tranquility, and beauty.  My friend commented that it looked like a drawn bow pointing down at the earth, as if God Himself intended to shoot an arrow upon us.  He told me the significance of the crescent moon, it is the symbol of a warrior of God; the two outward points represent activity towards the lower world while the gentle curving inside represents receptivity to the mandate of heaven.

This all occurring the night after the longest night of the year, when darkness has pushed light to the utter brink of disappearance.  This night however also symbolizes the turning point in the fight between good and evil in so many religious traditions around the world, because it marks the point from which the days will become longer and longer.  The symbolism is incredible!  If only most of the world wasn’t blind.

For the Zoroastrian faith that night is when Ahura Mazda’s forces reverse the tides of battle toward their glorious victory.  In the ancient Chinese tradition, in the sacred I Ching, the 24th hexagram, Fu (The Turning Point), represents the exact same event: the light of holy heavenly creation breaking through the veil of earthly darkness.  There are so many countless other traditions which highlight the significance of that night, too many to list here.

There are so many cosmological signs around us!  But how much do we realize this?  I am shocked that it took so long for me to actually realize this, to realize the significances of our position in the world, and to realize it not only in the spheres of thought and theory but to see it out on the canvas of the open sky.  I’ve been told that so many signs are becoming manifest concerning the Akhir az-Zaman, the last ages, in not just my own religion but in others as well.  But reading is one thing… seeing is quite something else.

—

“I would not worship a god I do not see.” – Imam ‘Ali ibn Abu Talib

May all those on the straight path gain a level of perception like his.  Ameen.