In the Spiritual Exercises, Saint Ignatius of Loyola tells us to develop a spirit of detachment which allows us to let go of those things that prevent us from loving God.

As I I reflected on today's celebration of the Immaculate Conception, I thought about how the Blessed Virgin Mary shows us how to develop the kind of interior freedom we need to love and serve God.

Pay Attention. Mary is attentive to God. She listens to God. (Luke 1:26-29) But not only to God. She paid attention to daily reality, the people she encountered, the events she experienced, and the inner movements of her heart. (Luke 1:39-46; John 2:1-12) Attentive listening to God, Pope Francis explains, and attentive listening to the events of life go hand in hand. (Church of Mercy, pp. 133-135) We have to do both.
Reflect and Understand. In listening to God, we see that Mary took the time to reflect and understand reality. She’s not in a hurry, but she takes her time, and contemplates on what she just heard: she asks clarifying question, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” (Luke 1:34)
Act Decisively. But she doesn’t stop there. Once she has understood what God has asked of her, she acts decisively. (Luke 1:38) She acts with courage--not without fear or trepidation, but with the courage to go beyond her fears--fear of divorce, even fear of being executed. And she acts with love--she took with her the most precious thing she has--her son, Jesus.

May Our Lady always pray for us, that we may develop the detachment necessary to be poor in spirit.