Amigos de Jesus: The Immaculate Conception

December 8th is the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. It is so important a celebration, that it is a holy day of obligation (meaning all Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on this day).

Some Catholics mistakenly think that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary without the cooperation of a man. This is actually called the Virgin Birth, something different.

The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary's conception in the womb of her mother without any stain of original sin. Although this belief was held even among the very early Christian communities, it was not proclaimed a dogma (a truth which must be believed) of the Church until 1854. In that year, Pope Pius IX declared ex cathedra (meaning "from the chair" of Peter and so without any possibility of error) that,

"The Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful."

A few years after this declaration, on February 11, 1858 a young girl named Bernadette Soubirous began receiving apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the small village of Lourdes in France. The Lady in the apparition was dressed all in white with a golden Rosary and a golden rose atop each of her bare feet. Bernadette described her as beautiful beyond description. When asked who she was, the Lady replied, "I am the Immaculate Conception."

The Immaculate Conception has been one of the favorite subject of artists throughout history. In the image in this post, Our Lady is seen as the Woman from Revelation 12 "behold a great sign appeared in the heavens, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon at her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

In another version of the image, below, the Holy Spirit is seen hovering above her in the form of a white dove. Her feet are crushing the serpent (Satan) from the book of Genesis. In the serpent's mouth is pictured the apple which Adam and Eve ate and through which sin and death entered the world. Mary is the "New Eve" whose offspring (Jesus Christ) crushes the serpent.