Today, December 8, we celebrate the Feast of Immaculate Conception. A misconception about this is that it mainly talks about the conception of Mary to her child Jesus. We must note that Jesus’ conception by the Blessed Virgin Mary is talked during the Annunciation. The truth is, the Feast of Immaculate Conception is about the conception of Mary’s mother to Mary, herself. Mary was born free of original sin and it is because of the grace God has given her. Mary did not earn it. Instead, God chose to give Mary this grace so that she would be able to accomplish her mission on Earth which is to conceive the Saviour of Mankind, Jesus Christ.
The feast also speaks about the unselfishness of God. Since God created Mary free of original sin, He did not claim Mary as His own. Instead, He let her to be our Mother and Queen, to be the Mother of the Church. When we pray to God, we ask for Mary’s intercession. We believe that it’s different when a mother requests or asks onto her child. This becomes the weakest point of every child.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains the Feast of Immaculate Conception by this:
“To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.” The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”. In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.”
“Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”
Let us remember these points about the Feast of Immaculate Conception:
- This is an act of showing God’s mercy.
- Mary was born free of original sin.
