What does the Immaculate Conception mean?
This expression means that the Virgin Mary, although conceived by her parents Anne and Joachim, just as all human beings are conceived, was never touched by original sin from the very first moment of her conception.
Why was the Virgin Mary conceived immaculate?
God chose Mary from all eternity to be the Mother of his Son: to fulfill this mission, she was conceived immaculate. This means that, by the grace of God and in anticipation of the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary was preserved from original sin and its consequences from the moment of her conception.
God could not have taken on human flesh in a womb contaminated by even the slightest imperfection, and for this reason he could only prepare for himself a pure, chaste, and immaculate womb. This is why Mary is full of grace.
But does this mean that she had to say yes to God?
No, because grace is synonymous with freedom. Mary remains free at every moment of her life: through the angel Gabriel, God does not give her an order, but asks her permission to enter history through her. And Mary responds without hesitation: «Here I am, I am the handmaid of the Lord.» At that moment, as throughout her life, she chose to trust in God.
Who promulgated the dogma of the Immaculate Conception?
The dogma was promulgated in the Sistine Chapel by Blessed Pius IX on December 8, 1854. During his exile in Gaeta (1849-1851) - due to the Mazzinian Revolution which, in 1848-1849, had led to the establishment of the Second Roman Republic, Masonic and anti-Christian by nature - the Pontiff had made a vow in a chapel dedicated to the Immaculate Conception that, if he received the grace of returning to Rome and restoring the Christian order in Europe, then shaken by revolution, he would devote himself entirely to proclaiming this Marian dogma. As Pius IX later said, he felt this need as an inner calling, which he received while absorbed in prayer before the image of the Immaculate Conception.
Why is the Immaculate Conception connected with certain apparitions?
The dogma is also connected with certain Marian apparitions. In particular, in 1830 Catherine Labouré, a novice in the monastery on Rue du Bac, had a medal struck bearing the text of a prayer she had seen during an apparition of the Virgin Mary: «O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you». Then, in 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, the visionary of Lourdes, reported that the Virgin had introduced herself with the words «I am the Immaculate Conception».
Today, therefore, we are invited to look upon and contemplate the Immaculate Conception, resolving to love her ever more, to love her without measure, without fearing that we might love her too much. Indeed, Saint Maximilian Maria Kolbe said, “Do not be afraid to love the Immaculate Conception too much, because you will never love her as Jesus loved her.” Let us entrust ourselves to her with this beautiful prayer by John Paul II.
Let us pray to the Immaculate Virgin with John Paul II
Queen of peace, pray for us!
Mother of mercy and hope,
obtain for the men and women of the third millennium
the precious gift of peace:
peace in hearts and families, in communities and among peoples;
peace especially for those nations
where people continue to fight and die every day.
May every human being, of every race and culture,
encounter and welcome Jesus,
who came to Earth in the mystery of Christmas
to give us “his” peace.
Mary, Queen of peace,
give us Christ, the true peace of the world!
(From the Prayer of Pope John Paul II, December 8, 2003)
If you would like to pray to the Immaculate Mother, we have many resources to offer you:
• Prayers to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
• In prayer with Saint Maximilian Kolbe
• Saint Maximilian Kolbe. Mary’s enamored devotee.
Discover more on our website: www.editriceshalom.it
We leave the final word to Pope Francis, so that he may guide us in understanding how this feast also speaks to each of us today: «Mary places trust in God before problems. She is left by the angel, but believes that God has remained with her, in her. And she trusts. She trusts in God. She is certain that with the Lord, even in an unexpected way, everything will turn out well. This is the wise attitude: not living dependent on problems - once one is over, another will appear! - but trusting in God and entrusting ourselves to Him every day: here I am! “Here I am” is the word. “Here I am” is the prayer. Let us ask the Immaculate Conception for the grace to live in this way» (Pope Francis, Angelus, December 8, 2018).
By saying our own “here I am” every day, following her example, let us joyfully prepare for the coming Christmas!
