The Madonna, as the woman who bore God Himself in her womb for a full nine months, was granted the singular grace of being free from original sin from the very first moments of her life—her conception. God willed that His mother be "full of grace," just as the Holy of Holies in the temple of Jerusalem was always kept pure because of the presence of God within it. Similarly, Mary was kept pure and free from all sin because she carried God within her body.
This ancient belief became a dogma of faith on 8 December 1854, declared by Pope Pius IX in his encyclical Ineffabilis Deus.
Reflection:
Does sin still exist? According to many, either it no longer exists, or they simply do not care whether it exists or not. There is no worse situation than that of a person who is ill but refuses to admit their illness, thereby denying themselves a cure. Worse still, if this illness is spiritual, for while some physical illnesses can heal even without intervention, the same cannot be said for the sickness of the soul. Yes, even the soul can become ill, and its sickness has far graver consequences than physical illness, for while physical sickness can only lead to physical death, spiritual sickness, God forbid, can lead to eternal death—that is, being separated from God forever. Faced with the reality of sin, we must avoid two extremes: either living as though sin does not exist or falling into despair and depression because of one’s own evil or that of the world. Neither of these paths is God’s way.
Today, we are celebrating the solemnity of Our Mother Mary, conceived without sin. This means that not only was Our Mother Mary never guilty of any sin, but also, through the grace of her Son Jesus, she was freed from original sin. How difficult it is for a person who denies the reality of sin and evil to understand the significance of this feast! For if one does not understand the harm caused by sin, how can one appreciate the grace of being freed from it? The effects of sin are rarely visible to the physical eye, but that does not mean it does not exist. It is enough to look at the world around us—wars, conflicts, violence, theft, injustices, poverty, and so on. Sin is everything that is the opposite of God and love. Therefore, we can say that today’s feast signifies that Our Mother Mary was always filled with the love of God and of others, and was never touched by the evil of the world.
Today’s readings provide the biblical foundation for the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. In Genesis, we see that as soon as humanity sinned, God promised victory over Satan and sin: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” The word enmity signifies infinite distance; therefore, between the woman and her offspring—Jesus—and the serpent/Satan and his offspring/sin, there would be no contact. The offspring of the woman, Jesus, crushes the serpent’s head, meaning the serpent can no longer cause harm. Reflecting on the Angel Gabriel’s words to Mary, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” how could the angel greet Mary as “full of grace” if she had ever been under the power of evil?
In today’s second reading, St Paul tells us: “Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ… He chose us in Him… to be holy and blameless in His sight, in love. He predestined us to be adopted as His children through Jesus Christ.” This means that what God did for Mary, the mother of His Son and ours, from the moment of her conception, He offers to us through His beloved Son. Thus, in baptism, we are freed from original sin; in confession, we are freed from our sins; and above all, in the Eucharist, He dwells within us just as He dwelled within Mary—not only in her womb but above all in her mind and heart. Let us ask ourselves: How much do I believe that sin is my greatest enemy? How deeply do I feel that Jesus, and Jesus alone, can deliver me from this greatest enemy? How much do I pray and strive to become more like my Heavenly Mother, knowing that I cannot be a true Christian unless I become like her?
We ask You, Lord, to help us understand how much we need this holy time of Advent so that we may always recognise how much we need You. Help us to make this holy journey together with Your Mother Mary, she who experienced the first Advent of awaiting Your coming. Amen.