“The Mother of God is invoked and praised as the one spotless and most beautiful dove, as a rose ever blooming, as perfectly pure, ever immaculate, and ever blessed... more beautiful than beauty, more lovely than loveliness; more holy than holiness...”
Pope Blessed Pius IX, Inneffabilis Deus
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin can rightly be called one of the happiest days for the Church. This mystery displays to us Mary’s triumph over sin; it also teaches us how to achieve our own sanctification. Let us then contemplate this heavenly pearl and understand what it means for us.
The Dogma
December 8th marks the anniversary of the declaration of the Immaculate Conception as a Dogma of Faith. This Dogma states “from the first moment of her conception the Blessed Virgin Mary was, by the singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of Mankind, kept free from all stain of original sin.”
The Mystery...
At the instant when God united the Soul of Mary to her body, He preserved Her from contracting this stain of original sin (which normally defiles every human soul). Additionally She was filled with an immeasurable and singular grace which rendered her the mirror of the sanctity of God Himself, as far as this is possible to a creature.
...and Our Life
What God accomplished in Mary Immaculate, in a unique and sublime fullness, must be
achieved in the faithful in the measure established by God: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification” (1 Thess 4:3). For this to happen, the Christian must model his life on that of Mary, the “Tota Pulchra” (“All Beautiful”). This way is “the swiftest, surest, most beautiful way” to become a saint (St Maximilian Kolbe). In practice this means:
to fight every sin in our thoughts, words, and actions, regularly purifying our soul in the sacrament of Confession.
to clothe oneself, inside and out, with the virtues of the Blessed Virgin, in order to mirror Her sanctity and beauty.
Let us ask Our Blessed Mother for Her powerful intercession to help us become more like Her so that one day we may sing Her praises and glorify God in Heaven for all eternity.
O Mary Immaculate, pray for us!