Today is Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the holy,
solemn day to commemorate the immaculate conception of the Blessed Mother.
While most people know the phrase “Immaculate
Conception,” there is at least one common misconception about the doctrine. The
Immaculate Conception does not refer to the conception of Jesus in the womb of
Mary (for which we have the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord on March 25th),
but rather the conception of Mary to her mother, Saint Anne.
Unlike Christ, who according to Scripture is said to
be born of virgin birth, Mary was conceived in a normal, biological way. To
become the Mother of God, Mary was deemed “full of grace” at the moment of her
conception, meaning she was free of original sin. She has to be pure and holy
from the very moment of her conception in her mother’s womb to be able to grow
into a woman who was to become the first living tabernacle, the mother of the
Lord Jesus Christ.
“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, Savior of the human race, preserved
immune from all stain of original sin,” Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854.
How apt is it that the Holy See has proclaimed the Year
of Mercy starting from today – the day that celebrates the conception of our Divine
Mother to whom was born the savior of the world, the king of mercy.
Let us make full use of this time that the Lord has
provided us through the Church and pray for His mercy. May Lord’s mercy engulf
the world and all things in it.
Happy Feast!
No comments:
Post a Comment