Daily Reflection Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. In 1854 Pope Pius IX declared that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, preserved immune from all stain of original sin, by the grace and privilege of almighty God. The Latin term for this stain is macula. Hence she is “immaculate,” i.e., without stain.

This solemnity pays tribute to her obedience. We celebrate her ability to hear the Word of God, to take it to heart, and bring it to life. In this way, we can say that Mary was innocent but not naïve. She was free from moral wrong and without sin, rather than being simple minded and unworldly. Her Canticle of The Magnificat, with its many concerns, both spiritual and social, shows her to be a woman of the world looking toward heaven.

Moreover, the Immaculate Conception did not hinder her human freedom; she acted freely in the world. In this way she stands in contrast to our first parents, Adam and Eve. They too had free will but in their freedom they chose to turn away from their Creator, receiving the gift of life from God but spurning the giver. Mary chose to follow the Word of God, pronounced at her Annunciation, as troubling as it was. Trusting in her Creator she declared herself, “the handmaid of the Lord” and, as we hear in today’s Opening Prayer, she prepared a worthy dwelling for the Son of God.