Immaculate Conception

9th December 2019

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary ( BVM)

1. Doctrine

Today, the Church commemorates the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title ‘Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception’.

This feast celebrates the Church’s dogma that the Blessed Mother was given the gift from God of being conceived without original sin. We see evidence of this when the angel Gabriel greeted Mary and announced that she would give birth to the Son of God. Gabriel did not merely address the Blessed Mother as “Mary,” but as “Full of Grace,” or the “Highly Favoured One,” because she wasn’t just another woman, she was about to be the Mother of God. We ourselves reaffirm this every time we pray the Hail Mary.

Some Catholic commentators through the years, going back even to some of the Church Fathers themselves, have said that this expression “full of grace” literally means that Mary was filled with an abundance or with the fullness of sanctifying grace.

2. Original Sin

The Lord created the human race to be with Him in Paradise. However, because of original sin, we:

1. lost Paradise,
2. severely wounded our human nature,
3. fell from God’s grace, and
4. brought into our lives fear (Gn 3:10), shame (Gn 3:10), blame (Gn 3:12ff), pain (Gn 3:16, 19), violence (Gn 4:8), death (see Rm 6:23), self-deception, self-hatred, slavery, alienation, even damnation, and so much more.

Original sin is the most depressing fact of life. When we realize this, we cry out: “What a wretched man I am! Who can free me from this body under the power of death?” (Rm 7:24) Jesus Christ alone has freed us from original sin and its devastating effects. In fact, Jesus freed His mother Mary from ever having original sin. She was immaculately conceived. Mary is therefore “a sign of sure hope” (see Lumen Gentium, 68) for all of us that original sin with its death and damnation need not be the final word. Jesus is Lord of all, including original sin. “He is always able to save those who approach God through Him” (Heb 7:25). Jesus is our Lord and Savior.

Mary Immaculate is a sign of hope pointing us to her Son, Jesus. No matter how shattered your life, broken your world, and sinful your society, look to Jesus and rejoice.

Mary always did God’s will. We pray through her intercession that we too may be able to say “yes” to the Lord and live it.

+Happy Feast Day

Imo Fr. Bassols