Today, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Pope Pius IX solemnly proclaimed the dogma with the 1854 Bull, Ineffabilis Deus. In it, the Holy Father affirms that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin.” Ineffabilis Deus (DS 2803). According to John Paul II, the attribution to Mary of “freedom from every stain of original sin entails as a positive consequence the total freedom from all sin as well as the proclamation of Mary’s perfect holiness, a doctrine to which the dogmatic definition makes a fundamental contribution.” (Immaculate Conception Defined by Pius IX, L’Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English, 19 June 1996, p11.). The Pope pleads that the negative formulation of the Marian privilege, which resulted from the earlier controversies about original sin that arose in the Western tradition, must always be complemented by the positive expression of Mary’s holiness more explicitly stressed in the Eastern tradition.
A feast day such as the Immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary could often be challenging for some Christian faithful to believe. It is in part, because of the sublime character of what we celebrate—what our faith puts before us, and the ordinary state of the human mind in understanding such mysteries. I find the insight contained in the teaching about Mary’s immaculate conception and the singular experiences and testimonies of the faithful in their devotion to Mary significant for appreciating today’s feast. Clearly, and as stated in this proclamation, there are two major reasons for this feast and the elevated status of the Blessed Virgin Mary we affirm through it. The first is that Mary’s privileged birth was the pure act of God’s grace and nothing else. As Mary proclaimed in the magnificat, “He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name” (LK 1:49). Mary was chosen for her special role as the Mother of the incarnate word with immaculate conception. And yet nothing entitled her to that status; not class, birth or privilege. Only the special grace of the Almighty God.
The second is that in being chosen for the role of being the Mother of the Redeemer, she became the first fruit of the marvellous work of our redemption and the merits of the death and resurrection of Christ. In other words, following her preeminent dignity as Mother of God, it is necessary that she who will bear the saviour should be free from all guilt of sin. God, the omnipotent had foreseen from the very beginning Mary’s role in the future incarnation of the Word which will culminate in the redemption of human nature and filled her with grace and holiness.
Compared with Eve in today’s readings (Genesis 3:9-15, 20; Luke 1:26-38), the most Blessed Virgin, was ever docile and attentive to God’s wondrous doings in her life. “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” To me, the loftiness of the formulation that Mary was preserved from sin right from her conception does not impede its worth. Instead, it calls me to open my horizon to the greatness of God’s works around me. Our inability to recognise miracles does not imply they do not occur. God can do great things, just like He, the almighty did great things for Mary. Today, all generations call her blessed. Thousands of voices in reciting the rosary call her full of grace. We only need to be open to God’s wondrous doings and simply believe that he can do great things.
