The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On December 8, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Blessed Pope Pius IX formally proclaimed Mary’s Immaculate Conception in 1854—that God preserved her from the stain of original sin.

Between February 11 and July 16 of 1858, fourteen-year-old Bernadette Soubirous (now a Saint) began having visions of a beautiful Lady in Lourdes, France. On March 25, Bernadette asked the Lady who she was at the urging of her parish priest. The reply which came forth, “I am the Immaculate Conception,” meant nothing to Bernadette, who’d never heard of this dogma proclaimed less than four years prior.  Notice that Our Lady of Lourdes did not say, “I am immaculately conceived.” In perfect humility, Mary defined herself entirely by proclaiming the work of God in her soul.

The Immaculate Conception
by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo
(c. 1767-1769)  

Why was this revelation to Bernadette, a simple, sickly girl, and not some great theologian? Perhaps because God, in His infinite wisdom, rarely chooses as we would expect.

As I ponder what Mary as “Immaculate Conception” means to me in my day to day existence, I must back up to the very beginning of the story of salvation history—all the way back to the “garden.” God created Adam and Eve in an unblemished state to enjoy an intimate relationship with Him directly. At some point, the first couple chose self-indulgence over obedience to God, thereby separating themselves, and all of creation, from God’s plan of perfect harmony and introducing death. We have inherited the rotten fruit of our first parent’s choice (original sin) and thus bear an inborn tendency toward sin (concupiscence) and inevitable death.

After the fall, God the Father’s perfect plan redeemed us from eternal death through the sacrifice of His Son, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, which brings me to His Mother Mary. At the moment of her conception, the good fruit of Christ’s redemption was imputed to her by a “singular” grace. (CCC 491) It is important to note that Mary had to be redeemed, just like us, as she is fully human, sharing our nature but “full of grace” sufficient to allow God to “tabernacle” within her womb. However, unlike us, Mary is uniquely holy, never made a single choice of self over obedience to God.

Baptism washes away original sin–but not our concupiscence. If Mary was free from original sin, was she also free from concupiscence as we are? Since the twelfth century, Catholic theologians have universally agreed that Mary was free from sin her entire life. St. Thomas Aquinas maintained that, at the time of Mary’s conception, concupiscence was present but bound—never actualized. Further, that only when Mary conceived Christ in her womb was concupiscence wholly removed. (Summa Theologica, 3, q. 27, a. 3) If so, then can we then still look to Mary as our model for holiness? And if her only Son was perfect, can she love a sinner-daughter like me?

Mary has been called the “Reparatrix” for her part in the divine plan to “untie” (or repair) the “knot” of Adam and Eve’s disobedience.  As the “new” Eve, Mary is my “supermodel” of holiness and obedience. I rejoice that God’s pinnacle of creation was a woman and that His plan of redemption required her “Yes.”  Adam and Eve were free from original sin, yet they weren’t able to give that 100% “Yes” to all that God asked of them, as did Mary.

God desires to integrate us into the communion of love called the Trinity. Mary has a special relationship with each Person of the Trinity. She is the daughter of God the Father, the Mother of God the Son, and the spouse of the Holy Spirit¹. Every single woman alive, regardless of her vocation in life, is mirrored through at least one of Mary’s relationships with the Persons of the Trinity.

Mary’s Immaculate Heart is intimately bound by mutual love to the Sacred Heart of her Son. When we place ourselves under Mary’s mantle, she leads us directly to her Son. Her perfect humility reflects all glory back to God. Just as the moon has no light of its own and reflects only the light of the sun, Mary reflects the light of the Holy Spirit. Oh, if we could all proclaim, “My soul magnifies the Lord!” as did Mary.

By meditating on the Mysteries of the Rosary, I have deepened my relationship with and admiration of Mary. Freedom from the nastiness of original sin didn’t preserve Mary from pain or suffering, any more than it spared her Son. I know that I can run to her for intercessory help.

Mary experienced the trauma of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy that required an angel’s intervention to put Joseph at ease with its scandal. Mary and Joseph experienced horror at losing their twelve-year-old Son in a big city. I doubt that Mary fully understood what God asked of her at the Annunciation and throughout her life with a precocious and miraculous son like Jesus. Mary, like all young Jewish women, knew that the Messiah would come from a virgin birth, but only time would unravel the meaning that the Messiah would be something other than a political king. At the Annunciation, the angel said, “and his kingdom will rule forever.”  As Mary witnessed her Son’s passion and death, she never faltered in her trust that God knew what He was doing.

That is the kind of trust that I want for myself!  Mary is my go-to saint of “All the Right Choices,” “Unfailing Trust,” and “Perfect Humility.” She loves me despite my many bad choices, or when I’ve lost heart too quickly, or stumble over my pride.  Christ bequeathed His Mother to us as she stood at the foot of the Cross. Consider accepting her spiritual motherhood.  She is the mother who always knows best. 

1. See https://saintmaximiliankolbe.com/who-are-you-o-immaculate-conception/ for more on Mary as the spouse of the Holy Spirit.