What do we mean when we say that Mary was conceived without the stain of sin, or, in other words, that her conception was immaculate?

That, by a singular privilege, from the very first instant of her existence, she was absolutely pure and holy, having been preserved from original sin and enriched from that moment with the treasures of grace, supernatural virtues, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Is the Immaculate Conception, then, a privilege?

Yes, it is a privilege, and a singular privilege. A privilege, because all the natural descendants of Adam were subject to the deprivation of original grace, and Mary was among them. It is a singular privilege because no one else, apart from the Blessed Virgin and perhaps Saint Joseph, is known to have been favored with it.

For whose sake was the Virgin preserved from original sin?

For the sake of the infinite merits of Jesus Christ.

How could the merits of Christ benefit the Virgin if He had not yet existed?

Because to God, who is eternal, all things—past and future—are present. Just as those same merits availed Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the Patriarchs and Saints of the Old Testament, so that their sins might be forgiven and they might be saved, so too did they avail the Virgin, preserving her from the stain of original sin.

Was the Virgin redeemed by the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ?

Yes, she was redeemed by what theologians call a preservative redemption, far more excellent than our own liberative redemption, since its purpose is not merely to remove sins already committed, but rather to preserve a person from falling into them.

What was the principal reason why Mary was preserved from original sin through the merits of Christ?

Her role as the New Eve and Mother of God.

The Immaculate Conception in Sacred Scripture

1. In Genesis, the new woman, that is, the Virgin, would crush the serpent's head and be its irreconcilable enemy.

• The victory and enmity would not have been complete if Mary, because of original sin, had been, even for a moment, a friend and slave of the devil.

2. Moreover, when the Archangel Saint Gabriel greeted her, he called her “full of grace.”

• This indicates an absolute fullness distinct from that received by the Saints and extending to every moment of her life.

3. Mary, as we have seen, was prefigured by Noah’s Ark.

• The only one that escaped the shipwreck of the world and was not submerged by the waters of the Flood.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary in Tradition

Throughout every century, from the origins of Christianity, there have been writers who treated the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Finally, the Roman Church, “mother and teacher of all Churches,” has always held as unquestionable doctrine the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin. The private and public prayers long used in the Church likewise presuppose this doctrine, which was later proclaimed and defined by the infallible authority of the Pope in response to the wishes of the entire Catholic episcopate.

The Immaculate Conception

On what occasion did the Catholic episcopate request the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary?

On the occasion of the Encyclical of February 2, 1849.

In this encyclical, issued in Gaeta, where he had taken refuge from the violence of the Revolution, Pope Pius IX exhorted the bishops to order prayers to obtain heavenly assistance for the Head of the Church and requested their opinion, as well as that of their faithful, regarding the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. He received replies from 543 cardinals, archbishops, and bishops, all of whom unanimously affirmed that belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Mother of God was universal in their dioceses and therefore requested the declaration of the dogma.

Does the Immaculate Conception constitute a dogma of the Catholic faith?

Yes. The mystery of the Immaculate Conception of Mary was proclaimed a dogma of faith by Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854, in the presence of more than 200 bishops and with the universal approval of the Church.

How did the Catholic world receive this decree of the Supreme Pontiff?

In every corner of the earth, the decree of the Roman Pontiff was met with immense rejoicing. Everywhere the triumph of Mary Immaculate was celebrated with extraordinary splendor and enthusiasm, and nearly every day of the following year was marked by festivities in honor of the Blessed Virgin.

On what day does the Church commemorate the Immaculate Conception of Mary?

The Church celebrates this glorious privilege every year on December 8. In the mid-twelfth century, the canons of the Church of Lyon introduced this feast into France, from where it spread to Italy and Germany. A bull of Pope Sixtus IV, published in 1476, extended the feast to the universal Church.

What should we do to celebrate worthily the Feast of the Immaculate Conception?

1. Consider it as a preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ into our souls on Christmas Day.

The Church thereby teaches us how much purity is required to receive Jesus Christ worthily, since in the Virgin neither actual nor original sin, nor even the slightest shadow of sin, was tolerated.

2. Remember that the grace granted to Mary at the first instant of her existence was granted to us in Baptism.

3. Humbly ask forgiveness for having been so unfaithful to this grace.

4. Ask God, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin, for the grace to be more faithful to it in the future.

5. Congratulate Mary on this privilege so dear to her, because it preserves her from what she infinitely detests: sin.

The apparitions of Lourdes provide clear proof of this truth. When, at the suggestion of the parish priest, Saint Bernadette Soubirous begged the Apparition to reveal her name, Mary, joining her hands and raising her eyes to Heaven, exclaimed in a most sweet voice:

“I am the Immaculate Conception!”

6. Meditate upon and assimilate the teachings contained in this mystery.

What does the mystery of the Immaculate Conception teach us?

It teaches us how greatly God abhors sin, the utmost care we must take not to commit it, and the importance of avoiding anything that may compromise the purity of our soul and body.

What other lesson is contained in this mystery?

That we should approach the Holy Table with great purity of soul.