the snake - immaculate conception 2013

The other year in my reflection on the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother I said that the usual image we have to represent the Immaculate Conception is the image painted by the Spanish painter Murillo.  That is what we have here – the woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet, the imagery narrated to us by the Book of Revelation.  But there are two other purported images of the Immaculate Conception and they are first, the image of Our Lady of Lourdes for in that apparition to St Bernadette Soubirous the beautiful lady when asked what her name was answered, I am the Immaculate Conception.  And the other image which appeared this time to St. Catherine Laboure is the image of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal, where, engraved in that medal is an inscription “O Mary conceived without sin; pray for us who have recourse to thee.”  In this second image one can see not only the image of Mary and the inscription, but also a green snake stepped upon, underneath the foot of Mary.

Today I would like to center my reflection on this snake and what it symbolizes; the snake stepped upon by the woman in our First Reading from the book of Genesis and the snake stepped upon by the woman Mary in the image of the Miraculous Medal.

Many of us are afraid of snakes and there are also those among us who like snakes and we make them as pets and some even make them as food.  But what does the bible say about snakes?  A snake is described by the book of Genesis as a deceptive creature, wais, butigon kag kahibalo gid manunto.  Sa Genesis ginapakita nga kahibalo gid sia mag-rason, it even uses logic agod mapatalang ang tawo.  In fact sa biblia ang mga tawo lakip diri ang mga hari nga kahibalo gid manunto kag magbutig ginatawag nga man-og.

And yet this is the same snake that saved Israel as they journeyed in the desert.  When they were bitten by snakes in the dessert Moses was told by God to make an image of a serpent placed on a pole and those who would look at this will be healed.  Now this snake placed on a pole pointing vertically becomes even today a symbol of medicine.  Ang man-og nga butigon, ang man-og nga daya-on, ang man-og nga nagapatalang can also be the snake that can heal, the snake that can save, the snake that can lead us back to God.  In fact this imagery of the snake placed on a pole is used by Jesus to signify his crucifixion.  So ano bala ang man-og, maayo ukon malain?

May mga biblescholars nga nagasiling nga ang man-og maayo ukon malain depende sa iya posisyon.  The snake is not good or evil in itself.  It becomes good or evil depending on the position it takes.  Kon ini ginapakamang sa duta it becomes deceptive and can lead us to evil.  If it is made to climb pointing to what is above, pointing to heaven it can also lead us to God.

Para sa sini nga mga scholars ang man-og nagarepresentar sang aton mga huyog, sang aton desires, sang aton mga luyag.  Naga-representar ini sang aton passion.  Ini nga passion, ini nga desires makadala sa aton sa kalaglagan ukon makadala sa aton sa kaluwasan.

Sa mga nagliligad nga balita kon kaisa nakalab-ot na kita sa punto nga indi na kita makaintiendi sang aton mga pamatasan.  bisan amtuod sala pero mahangpan mo pa nga ang tawo nga gutom, duha na ka adlaw wala nakakaon nangawat didto sa Tacloban – kay man gutom.  Pero indi ka kahangop, ukon kabudlay hangpon nga minilyon kag binilyon ang kawaton nga ibakal mo man lang sa pagkamahal-mahal nga bag, ukon awto nga malahalon gid nga indi mo man lang mapadalagan sa mga dalanon sang Pilipinas, ukon balay nga indi mo gid man pag-istaran kay kadamo na.  Sa akon panan-aw amo ini ang man-og nga gintugutan nga magkamang kon diin ang iya luyag.  Wala na control, tuga sa balingag nga rason.

Si Maria makita naton nga nagatapak, nagadugmok sang ulo sang man-og.  It is a snake that is put under control, ginlupig, ginpierdi, ginpunggan.  The snake which is our passion should not be allowed to lead us, because it is deceptive, it will fool us, it will blind us, it will lead us to damnation. 

And yet this same snake can lead us to God when our passion, our desires are channelled to God and to holy things.  Ang man-og nga nagguyod sa aton sa pag-abusar amo man ang man-og nga makaguyod sa aton sa pag-bulig sa iban, and I believe many of us have seen that now, especially bangud kay nakasumalang kita sang sini nga krisis.  Savings nga kontani akon ini, ginsupot ko ini, ginsakripisyohan ko ini, karon ginhatag sa mga nagakinahanglan.  The desire and the passion to help come from the same passion and from the same desire to deceive, to hoard, to accumulate and be greedy.  It comes from the same snake, the same passion.  Ang kinalain lang kay ang passion gintapakan, kag wala lang gintugtan nga magkamang bisan diin.  Wais ang man-og, maalam ang man-og.  Gani step on the snake.  Stepping on the snake can be painful because it will bite your heel as prophesied.  Controlling your passion and directing this to God can be painful.  But it can bring salvation, it can bring healing not just to yourself but to those who would look at it.  This is where all conflicts come from, this where all wars start – the source of enmity.

This is what the immaculate conception is teaching us.  It makes us aware of our sinful inclinations, of our passions that can drive us crazy for the things of this world or for the things of God.  That is where our choice lies.  Puede nga matugutan naton nga ang aton passion magaguyod sa aton sa pagpatuyang, ukon magaguyod sa aton padulong kag palapit sa Dios.