Posted on 12/08/2014 2:32:24 PM PST by NYer
December 8th is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
It celebrates an important point of Catholic teaching, and in most years it is a holy day of obligation.
Here are 8 things you need to know about the teaching and the way we celebrate it.
There’s a popular idea that it refers to Jesus’ conception by the Virgin Mary.
It doesn’t.
Instead, it refers to the special way in which the Virgin Mary herself was conceived.
This conception was not virginal. (That is, she had a human father as well as a human mother.) But it was special and unique in another way. . . .
The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way:
490 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.
491 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.
Yes. Because of the way redemption was applied to Mary at the moment of her conception, she not only was protected from contracting original sin but also personal sin. The Catechism explains:
493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”. By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. “Let it be done to me according to your word. . .”
No. What we’ve already quoted states that Mary was immaculately conceived as part of her being “full of grace” and thus “redeemed from the 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.”
The Catechism goes on to state:
492 The “splendour of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”. The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.
508 From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother of his Son. “Full of grace”, Mary is “the most excellent fruit of redemption” (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all personal sin throughout her life.
Adam and Eve were both created immaculate–without original sin or its stain. They fell from grace, and through them mankind was bound to sin.
Christ and Mary were also conceived immaculate. They remained faithful, and through them mankind was redeemed from sin.
Christ is thus the New Adam, and Mary the New Eve.
The Catechism notes:
494 . . . As St. Irenaeus says, “Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.” Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert. . .: “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.” Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary “the Mother of the living” and frequently claim: “Death through Eve, life through Mary.”
Those who die in God’s friendship and thus go to heaven will be freed from all sin and stain of sin. We will thus all be rendered “immaculate” (Latin, immaculatus = “stainless”) if we remain faithful to God.
Even in this life, God purifies us and trains us in holiness and, if we die in his friendship but imperfectly purified, he will purify us in purgatory and render us immaculate.
By giving Mary this grace from the first moment of her conception, God showed us an image of our own destiny. He shows us that this is possible for humans by his grace.
John Paul II noted:
In contemplating this mystery in a Marian perspective, we can say that “Mary, at the side of her Son, is the most perfect image of freedom and of the liberation of humanity and of the universe. It is to her as Mother and Model that the Church must look in order to understand in its completeness the meaning of her own mission” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Libertatis conscientia, 22 March, 1986, n. 97; cf. Redemptoris Mater, n. 37).
Let us fix our gaze, then, on Mary, the icon of the pilgrim Church in the wilderness of history but on her way to the glorious destination of the heavenly Jerusalem, where she [the Church] will shine as the Bride of the Lamb, Christ the Lord [General Audience, March 14, 2001].
No. The Church only speaks of the Immaculate Conception as something that was “fitting,” something that made Mary a “fit habitation” (i.e., suitable dwelling) for the Son of God, not something that was necessary. Thus in preparing to define the dogma, Pope Pius IX stated:
And hence they [the Church Fathers] affirmed that the Blessed Virgin was, through grace, entirely free from every stain of sin, and from all corruption of body, soul and mind; that she was always united with God and joined to him by an eternal covenant; that she was never in darkness but always in light; and that, therefore, she was entirely a fit habitation for Christ, not because of the state of her body, but because of her original grace. . . .
For it was certainly not fitting that this vessel of election should be wounded by the common injuries, since she, differing so much from the others, had only nature in common with them, not sin. In fact, it was quite fitting that, as the Only-Begotten has a Father in heaven, whom the Seraphim extol as thrice holy, so he should have a Mother on earth who would never be without the splendor of holiness [Ineffabilis Deus].
In the Latin rite of the Catholic Church, December 8th is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, and it is a holy day of obligation.
In the United States, the obligation to attend Mass exists even though it immediately follows a Sunday this year.
See my post #18.
It took almost 1,900 years for the church to figure out officially Mary was born sinless...?
seriously?
I certainly believe in the Virgin Birth...
Very clever but scripturally twisted fantasy.
“It is about Jesus have a holy womb in which to grow so that he could be fully human and fully God.”
Actually, it has nothing to do with a holy womb.
“You do believe that, don’t you?
I believe Christ is fully human and fully God.
“You do have Luke in your Bible, correct?
I think you know I do :-)
I might add that the Lord himself never uttered a recorded word about the sinless nature of his mother...
” Today is the Solemnity of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pope Pius IX declared that at the moment of
her conception Mary was preserved from the
stain of original sin through the merits of her
son, Jesus our Savior.”
That someone believes it or declares it doesn’t make it true.
Hail, Mary, full of grace!
Let’s unpack what you said...
“The same is true for sola scriptura.”
Scripture declares it is sufficient for salvation and for maturity. It declares it is inspired Truth from God. All other truth claims are judged by God’s Truth.
“There is then no problem with the Church officially defining a doctrine which is not explicitly in Scripture”
Sure there is. If there is no Scripture that reveals it as true, there is no basis to believe it.
“so long as it is not in contradiction to Scripture.”
It is wrong if it contradicts Scripture.
It is wrong if it adds what God revealed, as if it is equal.
“The one verse is the greeting of the angel to Mary, “Hail, full of grace.””
And this is wrong. The Greek does not say “full of grace.”
“There was no original sin on her soul. She was, indeed, “full of grace.””
She was as sinful as every human in all history. Only Christ was without sin. She was the recipient of God’s grace by being chosen to bear Messiah.
best
The elevation of Mary to God status is blasphemy.
“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. ”
This is clearly heretical.
“3. Does this mean Mary never sinned?
Yes.”
Again, clearly heretical.
“Christ is thus the New Adam, and Mary the New Eve”
I’m not sure anyone would even want to comment on that.
When you make a statement, courtesy requires you to support it with facts. Looking forward to your substantiation.
You seek that the statement be supported with facts... I would ask that you support the claims of the immaculate conception with scripture. Not one scripture reference listed... All statements made by men quoting man made doctrine.
No, it is unnecessary, not foretold by the Prophets, made up. The Virgin birth on the other hand was necessary was foretold wasn't made up. Scripture testifies to it.
My dear FRiend, how did the Virgin Birth happen without the Immaculate Conception, hmmmm?
The Greek word "kecharitomene" is a past-perfect participle. This means that the action was completed fully and perfectly in the past. The Virgin Mary was "graced" from all time, completely.
She was not sinless of her own volition - she received it through grace by virtue of her Son's sacrifice.
Must one be immaculately conceived in order to be a virgin? Hmmm? I think you need to rethink the terms, My dear FRiend.
Scripture-Inspiration-Tradition: you need all three or it all falls down.
Went to mass tonight at my parish.
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