“I am the Immaculate Conception” ~ Our Lady to Bernadette Soubirous.
In 1858, in a small town in France, Our Lady appeared to a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous. After months of seeing “the lady” at the grotto, Bernadette dared ask her name. Thus, the Heavenly woman replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” Finally, the bishop realized this uneducated girl was certainly seeing Mary herself.
What does the Immaculate Conception mean?
The Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived immaculately: perfectly, free of sin. Bernadette heard these words from Mary around the time Pope Pius IX declared “Immaculate Conception” dogma in the Catholic Church. This means the pope definitively declared Mary was conceived without sin. In the history of our world, the Church has only believed two women were created perfectly sinless: Eve and Mary. Similarly, only two men have been created sinless: Adam and Jesus.
Why does the Immaculate Conception matter?
It’s pretty cool that the Church has come to this conclusion about Mary. Even better, Mary confirmed our suspicions about her conception for us. But why is this significant, other than as an interesting piece of trivia?
Catholics recognize Mary as the “new Eve.” She is the mother of our world, queen of Heaven and Earth. Because of her Immaculate Conception, her body was the perfect and only vessel able to carry Jesus. She was raised to such dignity through her sinless nature that she did not suffer death. Christ assumed her into Heaven body and soul, fully unified and glorified. God Himself held Mary in such high esteem that He raised her up to be His queen.
On December 8th, (this year December 9th!) we celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The feast is a holy day of obligation. Thus, around the world, Catholics are called to honor our queen. If God honored Mary, sparing her from sin and raising her to Heaven, then how much more should we honor her?
The answer can be found in the Protestant treatment of Mary. Protestants all but hold Mary in contempt. Other religions make every attempt to erase Mary from the story of Jesus, or to fictionalize her. They believe Jesus was made man, that He was born, that He was raised from infancy. Yet they reject the dogma that Mary was significant, sinless, perfect, and is a mother to us all. To other religions, Mary could have been any virgin selected by God to conceive a child.
Why are Protestants Incorrect?
The devil despises Mary. Thus, the devil will use Mary to lead to not only separation of faiths, but also much contention. Why does Satan hate Mary? First, exorcists use her name to cast out demons. Second, we know Eve was corrupted and thus stained the human race with sin. However, Mary became the new Eve and her fiat is why we are saved. Thus, she is the great enemy of the devil, his downfall and failure. Even though God spared Mary the stain of Original Sin, it is important to note that Mary still turned away from every inclination to sin.
In conclusion, Mary is not “just” a passive figure who became pregnant. Mary is our mother, she is Jesus’ mother. She is our queen. Mary is the Immaculate Conception, the mercy of God and hope of our world.
