Fr. Albert
St. Peter Catholic Church, New Iberia
The Immaculate Conception. What is it? Why does it matter? The Immaculate Conception refers to Mary, not Jesus. The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Church, declared by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. It is one of the two times in the Church’s history that a Pope has used his authority and office to teach something ex cathedra. That is Latin for “from the chair,” as in from the chair of Peter. It means the teaching is infallible. This is important because many people think that everything a Pope says is infallible; that’s not true. Most of what the Pope says is actually not infallible; this is one of the times that it is.
But, just because the Pope didn’t make it a dogma until 1854 doesn’t mean Catholics didn’t already believe it. We can trace this belief a long way back in our Church, even though it was debated back and forth for a while. Anyway, the point is that Catholics are expected to agree that Mary was conceived without original sin: one of only two people since Adam and Eve. But why does this matter? Why would the Pope go out of his way to make this teaching so very clear? And why does this matter to us in everyday life? There are many reasons, but I want to focus on two:
First, Mary is kept free from sin because of Jesus Christ. By recognizing this special preservation of Mary, we are actually recognizing the Jesus is divine and therefore holy and worthy of our reverence. We keep the Eucharist in a tabernacle, usually made from precious materials and decorated. We also genuflect to the tabernacle and show it a special kind of reverence. God preserved Mary from all sin as a way of expressing how precious his Son is. Mary is the first tabernacle, the new Ark of the Covenant, and the New Eve.
Secondly, and perhaps more encouraging to us, Mary being preserved from sin is the archetype of our own salvation. Mary is kept free from sin not because she is powerful, but because she is unable to do anything on her own. Mary did not earn the right to be free from sin, it was a gift of God’s grace.
But here is where we step into the profound mystery of God’s grace and providence. How was Mary saved from sin? We all know that Jesus Christ, and only Jesus can save anyone from sin. But Mary was saved from sin before Jesus died on the Cross? Is Mary the exception? No, Jesus’ death on the Cross preserved Mary from sin the same way it saves anyone from sin. But, God is beyond time and see all moments in history in a kind of eternal present. Because Jesus is also God, he could and in fact did, grant Mary this special grace even before he accomplished our redemption in time. We can see this in that Mary is hailed as “full of Grace” even at the beginning of the Gospel.
If that is confusing or unclear, that’s probably good. It is a mystery to be embraced, not a puzzle to be solved. But here is what is interesting about that. Mary was given this special grace, but she was also still given the choice to accept becoming the mother of Jesus. That choice was a key part of God’s plan to save all human kind. But she needed the special grace of God in order to be able to say yes.
In a mysterious cooperation of God’s grace and human free will, God gave Mary the grace to be able to accept her place in his plan to give her and everyone else the grace of being saved. In a similar way, every human being needs the grace of God in order to say yes to the grace of God. This is why St. Paul talks about “grace upon grace” in his letters.
We focus on Mary so much as Catholics because she is the perfect model of a disciple of Jesus Christ. Both she and her son are without sin, but her son is also divine. So, Mary is the perfect completely human example of what it means to cooperate with God’s grace. She has a role in God’s plan of salvation, but she needs his grace in order to be a part of it. In the same way, every human being has a role in God’s plan, but we need his grace to cooperate. This is why Catholics emphasize faith and works for salvation. Not because we earn our salvation, but because our works are themselves products of grace and God’s way of fully including us in our own redemption.
This is profound mystery: confusing, beautiful, and perhaps even a little overwhelming. Perhaps an analogy will help – a son or daughter comes to you, their parent and asks for money. They want this money to buy you a Christmas present, with your own money. They could not buy the gift without your money, but you want them to participate in the act of giving, so you provide for them.
And the mystery of God’s grace is in fact a gift. Mary, full of grace, was given to us at the foot of the Cross as mother, model, and intercessor. Learn from her humble embrace of God’s plan. Learn from the providential way that God provided grace to her before she even understood her place. Take courage, open your heart to accept this and every mystery of our faith and then, implore God’s grace to live it out, that we may join Mary and all the saints in heaven “for the praise of God’s glory” forever and ever. Amen.