Written by Sr. Rosemary Finnegan, O.P. - Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Readings from: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/120820.cfm
This beautiful Marian feast is often misunderstood. Yes, it is celebrated in Advent when we prepare to celebrate Christ’s birth, and yes, our gospel was about the Angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the Savior. One may think, then, that this feast of the ‘Immaculate Conception’ is about Jesus’ conception. It is not. This feast is about Mary’s own physical conception, her origin, by her parents Anne and Joachim. What we celebrate today, and why the church formally declared this feast of the “Immaculate Conception” a dogma of faith in 1854, is the fact that from the moment of Mary’s conception, God preserved her from all sin in order to prepare her to be the mother of God’s son. Mary is truly the mother of Jesus, and therefore, the mother of God. So, we celebrate her conception today, Dec. 8, and her birthday 9 months from now on Sept. 8.
Yes, this is a mystery. How can God who is eternal, without a beginning and end, even have a mother? Many have struggled with this question, not the least being St. Maximillian Kolbe, the martyr of Auschwitz who gave up his life for another prisoner who was slated to die. Maximillian had a great devotion to Mary most of his life and even started a prayer society to honor her. He reflected on Mary often and deeply. While writing only two hours before his arrest in Poland by the Nazis in 1941, St. Maximillian wrote this haunting question: “Who are you, O Immaculate Conception?” In answering this question, I think he wrote something beautiful:
“She is God’s. She belongs to God in a perfect way to the extent that she is as if a part of the most Holy Trinity, although she is a finite creature. Moreover, she is not only a “handmaid,” a “daughter,” a “property,” a “possession,” etc., but also the Mother of God! Here one is seized with giddiness… She has the same Son as the heavenly Father has. What an ineffable family! What a lovely mystery!”1
As we reflect on Mary today, we remember that from all eternity, Mary was called and called upon. She was called to be God’s mother, Jesus’ mother, our Mother. She was called upon to bring a message of peace and love, trust and prayer to a weary world. By our baptism, when we were freed from original sin, we were also called, and called upon, to imitate our Blessed Mother in bringing her Son’s message of love and reconciliation to others.
Today let us pray to Mary in earnest. Declared patroness of the United States in the year 1846 by our Bishops under her title of the Immaculate Conception, we pray for our country. As mother of all humankind, we also pray for those throughout the world who are suffering in any way, and because of the pandemic in particular.
We know Mary cares for each of us, and so we say, ‘Mary, the Immaculate Conception, we honor you, thank you, love you and ask you to continue to guide us on our way. Amen.”
1 SK 1318. All citations from the writings of St. Maximilian Kolbe are abbreviated SK and taken from Scritti di Massimiliano Kolbe, Rome, 1997.
