Today was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. My parents and I searched the internet for a Mass and came across the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. They had a recorded Mass, so we celebrated there. It was beautiful. The church was decorated with royal blue, as were the vestments. The music consisted of the large pipe organ and only a few choir members – also wearing royal blue – standing socially distanced in a half circle. The lector had an amazing voice and way of telling the story, rather than just reading the words. The celebrant was the Apostolic Nuncio to the United States. He had a thick accent, but a wonderful homily and message. He talked about how in our current world, people don’t seem to even believe in a true right or wrong and scoff at the word sin. He said that we are afraid of everything except sin, which is what we should fear the most due to its’s eternal consequences. During the celebration, the camera highlighted specific works of art throughout the church, all depicting Our Lady. We were reminded that the Immaculate Mary is the Patroness of Our Country and later we said a specific prayer for our nation. When Mass was over, my dad exclaimed, “Well, you certainly know you’ve been to church!” Even though we weren’t physically there and were unable to receive Communion, his statement was very true.

I Found God today in the Immaculate Conception.