After Himself, God gave me His next greatest gift—my parents.

I often meet friends, relatives, and good people who do kind things for me. They help me, support me, and sometimes even surprise me with gifts. And I am grateful.
But when I look closely at my life, I realize something deeper—my parents are God’s miracle of daily sacrifice.

There isn’t a single day when they don’t give up some part of their own comfort so I can have mine. And it’s never just once a day… it’s in a hundred hidden ways. Every comfort I enjoy has its roots in a sacrifice they made without telling me, without asking for anything back.

Friends step in on certain days, on birthdays, but my parents made a commitment long before I understood it—to sacrifice for me their lives, with love as their reason and nothing more.

So when I think of them, I realize: parents are not just providers or companions. They are God’s gift of self-giving love to me.

Yet no other heart said, “Yes” to sacrifice (not even a soldier’s mother) like Mary; an Immaculate Heart that accepted the sacrifice of her own child. 

Why Immaculate? Because this heart couldn’t sin. 

Her Son’s murders….. She saw as her children

Her pain at the cross…..She accepted as pangs of child birth – bringing them safely to (eternal) life…. 

Each blasphemy at the cross ….was met with her blessing lips

Each blow to her Son… was met with her praying heart. 

His silence as a lamb….she silent as a lamb

He cried “Lord why have You forsaken Me”…She accepted the time of separation ..”Woman behold thy son”

Her love was like a fireman’s water-hose that drowns the fire of hate. 

And even now, when God’s justice is stirred by the world’s sin,

She holds back chastisement with her pleading love. 

She comes running to us in apparitions and love, pleading for our prayers and conversion

As a mother firmly holds her baby in her arms protecting it from hurt

She firmly holds us standing before the arm of God’s Justice, beseeching with tears for more Mercy.

On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 

We ask you Mary to not only pray for us to be born again 

But reconceived spiritually in your womb of the Power of Holy Love.

Pray over all our weaknesses, inner wounds and even inherited sinfulness

That your loving heart united to Jesus, will eradicate our slavery of misery. 

May her Immaculate grace, hold each of us spellbound in love and administering with dignity all the days of our life.