65 the Marian path and which we admire in the life of Blessed Stanislaus, the Father and Guide on the way each of us has been called on. Following the Marian path we would like to ask: how to live the mystery of the Immaculate Conception? What horizons of spirituality and apostolate does this mystery of Mary open before us? The Immaculate Conception as a Gift of the Merciful God The Marian as a Man Who Accepts the Gifts of God Theology views the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a “gift” and counts it among the “great deeds” performed in Mary by the Triune God. The Mystery of the conception of Mary becomes for us an inspiration to thank and glorify God in His incomprehensible love for man, to glorify God for the works performed in the history of salvation for the good of man. The Immaculate Conception of Mary reveals in particular the amazing initiative of God the Father, the salvifi c work of the Holy Spirit, and the complete redemption of Christ. Mary, from the very beginning, is enveloped in the love of God which is always a Triune one: the love of God, in the Holy Spirit, through Jesus Christ. In this way, Mary becomes an example for us of total gift from God. We receive everything from Him, freely and undeservedly. God’s gift of the Immaculate Conception introduces us into the mystery of vocation, the ancient choosing of man by a loving God. Since, as St. Paul teaches us in the Letter to the Ephesians, “God chose us in Him before the world began, to be holy and blameless in His sight” (Eph 1:4). It means that although the history of man is marked by sin which painfully shapes human existence, it does not reach us as deeply as the Creator, whose love decides the true beginning of man. The power of the grace of salvation is “from the beginning” much stronger than the power of original sin. In the Immaculate Conception, we most fully discover the essence of our Christian vocation, which becomes more specifi c in the Marian vocation. We discover our identity here who we are for God—beloved and chosen from time immemorial. God’s bestowing the fullness of grace upon Mary becomes a source of joy for her following the invitation of the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation. Only God’s gift of grace is the source of true joy. Grace means love and the gift of God alone—a gift given completely freely and for free, in which God alone offers Himself to man. Christ is the fullness of grace. Mary is Immaculately Conceived because she received Christ. Therefore, a Marian who lives the mystery of the Immaculate Conception is full of joy since he knows that he has received everything from God, and as an endowed person, he tries to receive Christ—to
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