Today, December 8, we celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mama Mary, our country’s Patroness.
This Feast of Mama Mary is celebrated nine months before her Nativity remembered every September 8.
In hisIneffabilis Deusof 8 December, 1854,“Pius IXpronouncedthat theBlessed Virgin Mary"in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege andgracegranted byGod, in view of themeritsofJesus Christ, the Saviour of thehuman race, was preserved exempt from all stain oforiginal sin."
Blessed Virgin Mary was granted this “extraordinary privilege because of her unique role in history as the Mother of God. That is, she received the gift of salvation in Christ from the very moment of her conception.”
This doctrine was reaffirmed a few years later.
In 1858, when Mama Mary appeared to Bernadette of Lourdes, she said,"I am the Immaculate Conception."
When Bernadette was declared a saint in 1933, the “Immaculate Conception was further solidified as church dogma.”
Today, we are reminded that whileunique in all humanity for being born without sin, Mama Mary “is held up by the Church as a model for all humanity in her holiness and her purity, in her willingness to accept the plan of God for her.”
Her ready response to Angel Gabriel’s message, “Let it be done to me according to Thy Word” is an inspiring reflection about how all should respond to God’s will.
Today’s “Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a time to celebrate the great joy of God’s gift to humanity in Mary, and to recognize with greater clarity, the truth that each and every human being has been created by God to fulfill a particular mission that he and only he can fulfill.”
Through Mama Mary’s ready obedience and love for God, Jesus Christ was born to save and redeem all humankind, the reason for this Advent season!
Celebrated weeks before Christ’s nativity, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception reminds us how those who love, obey and follow God will completely be one with God forever.
Blessed among women, Mama Mary was assumed into heaven and was crowned as Queen of Heaven and earth!
Being born without original sin and as the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ did not exempt Mama Mary from sorrows and pain however.
Fr.Joseph A. Galdon, S.J. in THE ADVENTS OF THE LORD wrote:
“Mary suffered the Seven Swords of Sorrow, and Christ suffered on the cross, but there was love in it. It was far more than pain. It was a tremendous act of love. There is much pain in our lives, but if we find Christ in it, it becomes suffering and an act of love.”
Mama Mary showed us what love for God means.
With love, suffering becomes more than pain.
With love, human suffering becomes divine.
Mama Mary always pointed us all to her Son, Jesus Christ and to God, our Father.
Although divine, Jesus Christ became human because of His great love for the Father. Because of His love for us, Jesus Christ showed us how humans can become divine, with love for God in our lives.
Because love was in all these, Jesus’ passion and cross brought us all our redemption and victory!
On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, let us remember her memorable words during her Son’s miracle at Cana – “Do as He says!”
And her Magnificat: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name!”