The man jumps up out of his seat and shouts, "OH, Man, I'm on the wrong bus AGAIN!"

This can often be a scenario that we hear played out in our minds. It usually begins with an accusation reminding us of something that we have done wrong or imperfectly. Then, we have this uneasy feeling that God doesn't like us. Our reaction is to find a way to justify ourselves. It is this seeking our own justification, St. Paul tells us, that prevents us from being justified by God.

We are uncomfortable unless we are earning that which we receive. Even when we don't earn something we have an uncanny ability to convince ourselves that we deserve it - though not completely. We generally need help to numb the anxiety that we feel because we know somewhere, within ourselves, that we are living a lie.

No one can earn their God's love - not even Mary - whose feast day we are celebrating. Salvation is a gift freely given. Love is freely given. If we could in some way earn salvation or love, it wouldn't be a gift. It would be payment. (We are much more comfortable with payment.)

Unlike Satan who accuses us, God saves us - often from ourselves. Yet, we seem to be more comfortable with accusations. When accused we can argue. We can seek to disprove the accusation. In truth, however, we can't. We are guilty. We are imperfect. We do sin. We are in a state of separation from God. The paradox is that we can't stop justifying ourselves until we come to experience God loving us, and we can't experience God loving us until we stop justifying ourselves. Even here we can't save ourselves. It seems that we are always on the wrong bus!

Thanks be to God, Jesus somehow gives us a glimpse of God loving us. That's all it takes. Like a virus, this seemingly insignificant experience of love continues to grow in us, making us vulnerable to other experiences, and periodically tripping us so that we fall into the hands of God.

It is this that we celebrate today. God loving us so much that God destroys even death.