December 8: Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Immaculate Mary, your praises we sing,

You reign now in splendor with Jesus our King.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!


In Heaven the Blessed your glory proclaim,
On earth we your children invoke your sweet name.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!


We pray for the Church, our true mother on earth
And bless, Holy Mary, the land of our birth.
Ave, Ave, Ave Maria! Ave, Ave, Ave Maria!
(Lourdes Hymn)

Today, December 8, we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary—the day on which Mary, the future Mother of God, was conceived in spotless purity of soul, free from Original Sin at her first moment of animation. Our Blessed Mother, in preparation for her role as Mother of Jesus, was granted this singular grace by God, upon the merits of Jesus. Intrinsically linked and inseparable with the purity and divinity of Our Savior, Mary, the Blessed Virgin, persisted in grace and purity, becoming the vessel of the Incarnation, the Mother of the Word of God.

Pope Pius IX pronounced the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception in 1854, stating in the Constitution Ineffabilis Deus: “The Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin.”

An explanation from the Catholic Encyclopedia (newadvent.org):

“"The Blessed Virgin Mary..."

The subject of this immunity from original sin is the person of Mary at the moment of the creation of her soul and its infusion into her body.

"...in the first instance of her conception..."

The term conception does not mean the active or generative conception by her parents. Her body was formed in the womb of the mother, and the father had the usual share in its formation. The question does not concern the immaculateness of the generative activity of her parents. Neither does it concern the passive conception absolutely and simply (conceptio seminis carnis, inchoata), which, according to the order of nature, precedes the infusion of the rational soul. The person is truly conceived when the soul is created and infused into the body. Mary was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin at the first moment of her animation, and sanctifying grace was given to her before sin could have taken effect in her soul.

"...was preserved exempt from all stain of original sin..."

The formal active essence of original sin was not removed from her soul, as it is removed from others by baptism; it was excluded, it never was in her soul. Simultaneously with the exclusion of sin. The state of original sanctity, innocence, and justice, as opposed to original sin, was conferred upon her, by which gift every stain and fault, all depraved emotions, passions, and debilities, essentially pertaining to original sin, were excluded. But she was not made exempt from the temporal penalties of Adam — from sorrow, bodily infirmities, and death.

"...by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race."

The immunity from original sin was given to Mary by a singular exemption from a universal law through the same merits of Christ, by which other men are cleansed from sin by baptism. Mary needed the redeeming Savior to obtain this exemption, and to be delivered from the universal necessity and debt (debitum) of being subject to original sin. The person of Mary, in consequence of her origin from Adam, should have been subject to sin, but, being the new Eve who was to be the mother of the new Adam, she was, by the eternal counsel of God and by the merits of Christ, withdrawn from the general law of original sin. Her redemption was the very masterpiece of Christ's redeeming wisdom. He is a greater redeemer who pays the debt that it may not be incurred than he who pays after it has fallen on the debtor.”

With that said, we see that at the very moment of conception—that is the animation of Mary’s soul crated, the Lord filled her with grace (pre-determining the Archangel Gabriel’s words) and preserved her from sin. Our Blessed Mother referred to herself this way when appearing at Lourdes, at Beauraing, at the striking of the Miraculous Medal, and others. In this title, we see Mary as the New Eve, saved by Christ, the New Adam, from the original stain of sin as foretold in the Book of Genesis (3:15):

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel. (Genesis 3:15)

In the entire history of creation, only four individuals were created, in their first moments, without the stain of sin: Adam and Eve, Mary and Jesus. And as we know, only Mary and Jesus remained sinless, unblemished, and pure in the eyes of the Lord throughout their lives.

Mary, the Blessed Virgin didn’t found churches, preach great sermons, convert large crowds, work miracles, or die for the faith as so many of our great saints have. She did something much more difficult, requiring a much greater sacrifice, and leading to the greatest of joys, linked inextricable with the greatest of suffering. She simply said “yes.” Of course, there was nothing simple about it, and the Church recognizes her obedience and service as the greatest of traits, the epitome of the Christian faith. That is, Our Blessed Mother is the perfect model of Christian faith. When the Lord asked her to serve Him, she said yes. The Church instructs us to imitate Mary in her living of the Christian life, through her faith, her hope, her charity, and her obedience.

Oh Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Prayer of Pope John Paul II:

Queen of peace, pray for us! Our gaze is directed toward you in great fear, to you do we turn with ever-more insistent faith in these times marked by many uncertainties and fears for the present and future of our planet.


Together we lift our confident and sorrowful petition to you, the first fruit of humanity redeemed by Christ, finally freed from the slavery of evil and sin: hear the cry of the pain of victims of war and so many forms of violence that bloody the earth. Clear away the darkness of sorrow and worry, of hate and vengeance. Open up our minds and hearts to faith and forgiveness!


Mother of mercy and hope:
Help every human being of every race and culture to find and embrace Jesus, who
came to earth in the mystery of Christmas to give us 'His' peace. Mary, Queen of peace, give us Christ, true peace in the world!

Father You prepared the Virgin Mary
to be the worthy Mother of Your Son.
You let her share beforehand
in the salvation Christ would bring by His death,
and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception.
Help us by her prayers to live in Your presence without sin.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,
Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.




Year 2: Day 342 of 365
Prayer Intentions: To live the Christian life as modeled by Our Blessed Mother.

Requested Intentions: Blessings upon a relationship (M); Sobriety and recovery for a son (M); Employment and successful marriage (A); Employment, healing, freedom from anxiety (T); Financial security (C); Conversion (T); Peace in difficult times at work (E); Financial security and blessings for mother and children (T); Financial security for a mother (M); Health, finances, successful marriage (A); Successful resolution of court case for son (K); Continued sobriety (N); Healing of a chronic health condition (B); Successful employment (A): Peace in a family, recovery of a niece from substance use (L); Blessings on a marriage, healing of a husband (P); For the health and recovery of sisters (B); For a daughter and granddaughter (D); Blessings on overseas employment (M); Healing of mother (L); Successful employment for husband (G); Successful employment, personal fulfillment (C); Health and recovery of ill sister (A); Resolution of legal issues; Grace and protection (E); Successful and meaningful employment (S); Restoration of a marriage (A).