Dec. 8th - Mary's Immaculate Conception

 

On Dec. 8^th, 1854, Pope Pius IX, proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate Conception as a dogma of faith requiring all Catholics to believe. He said, “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.”

After the fall, when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, God did not abandon man. God proclaimed the first announcement of the Messiah and Redeemer, when He said, “I will put enmity, between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring, she shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for His heel.” The book of Genesis speaks of the battle between the serpent and the Woman and the final victory through Her descendant.

The Virgin Mary is the woman, who will be at enmity with the devil. When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, “Hail Full of Grace!” The Greek word for “full of grace” means, She had been filled with grace, She is filled with grace and She will be filled with grace. To be at enmity means to have nothing to do with the devil. Mary had nothing to do with the devil because She was conceived without sin in the womb of her mother, Anne and because She would never sin in Her entire life.

Some statues of Mary show Her standing on the earth. Her foot is crushing the head of the serpent. Mary is woman promised in the book of Genesis, who will crush the head of the serpent.

Through St. Catherine Laboure, Mary gave us the miraculous medal with the words, “O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us, who have recourse to thee!” are prayed by millions of Catholics everyday.

In Lourdes, France, when St. Bernadette asked Our Lady, what is Her name, The Virgin replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception”.

Since Mary was never touched by any sin whatsoever, She is a powerful aid to all of us sinners. We should call upon Mary often in time of temptation and we should ask Her for graces to help us overcome our sins and the sins of our nation.

As the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patroness of the United States. A few years ago, the US bishops consecrated our country to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, so, we can trust we are under Her mantle and protection.

In the US there is a great spiritual battle occurring for the unborn. The conception of Mary we celebrate and the conception of Jesus remind us of the dignity of every unborn child.

Let us pray fervently to Our Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception, asking Her to help our nation respect life from the moment of conception, so each child may have the opportunity to have life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, gifts bestowed upon us by our creator.

O Mary, you who are our Mother, and you who were conceived without sin, pray for us, our families and our nation, who have recourse to thee.