Today we celebrate an important event in the life of the Roman Catholics, The Solemnity of Immaculate Conception. It focuses on the belief that Mary conceived Jesus without a sin. God acted in an extraordinary and miraculous way and saved Mary from original sin to become the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The said solemnity is celebrated during December 8, 17 days before Christmas. A lot of misconceptions appear in this celebration stating that this is the conception of Jesus by the Virgin Mary, and how will does Jesus be born with only 17 days, but it is explained that Solemnity of Immaculate Conception is about the origin of Jesus’ mother, Mary, who was conceived and born sinless by her mother, St. Anne.
We obtain our original sin from the moment we were born. Thus, it is innate to human’s condition which affects us physically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. It pollutes our minds, affects our every action and tempts us so that we may be vulnerable to sin. No one will be exempted to obtain original sin unless you are part of God’s plans.
The Solemnity of Immaculate Conception is celebrated worldwide, especially here in the Philippines where every liturgical celebration is very important to Roman Catholics. During this time, we commemorate the already Immaculate Virgin Mary crowned with Glory. God lifted the power of original sin from Mary from the moment of her own conception so she would become worthy to be the Blessed Mother of Jesus. Therefore, Mary was part of the whole plan, she was cleared from sin and chosen to conceive Jesus so He would be born by the Blessed Virgin Mary who herself was born without original sin, making Him the Holy one and worthy to be our savior as well.
Whenever we call Jesus as our savior, that means we come to and trust Him that he will free us from our innate sins and its effects on us and on the people around us so we will also be worthy to be in His kingdom. Mary was the first one to be saved by Christ, if not because of Him, Mary wouldn’t be cleared from original sins. This is the mystery and significance of the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception.
This special event is a celebration we must look forward to as a member of the Catholic Church. We must know that it is our responsibility to commemorate and reflect on this day as it is considered as a holy day of obligation. In line with this, a mass will be held for the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception in the Diocesan Shrine and Parish of Nuestra Señora de Aranzazu at 6 and 7 in the morning while there will also be a mass at 12 in the afternoon. (Franchesca Urnom)
