Immaculate Conception

 In my tradition, today is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  What is that?  Well, it points to the idea that God has plans for us before we even know the plans.  We come into this world with a specific purpose.  Our job is to find that purpose and live it out.  This is the point of the spiritual life.  Mary was born quite free from the normal foibles that beset the rest of us.  So she was conceived without the usual shortcomings that seem to be seeded within all of us, just waiting to come out.  Anyhow, God had plans for her to later conceive God in the flesh, God become human, in my tradition.  A point, for those who believe or don't believe, is that The Plan for each life, in this case Mary's, is already happening, when we are conceived, but we don't know it at that time.  A spiritual life allows the plan to unfold until one day, we come to know why we are here.  Without a spiritual life, we just try to copy some other life, which is really a waste.  We cannot be anyone else, and be fulfilled.