The Immaculate Conception II

In response to many petitions that had been sent to Rome, after having consulted all bishops throughout the world and having received from them an overwhelmingly favorable response, Pope Pius IX, on December 8, 1854, promulgated the Bull “Ineffabilis Deus,” in which be solemnly defined the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of Catholic faith:

To the glory of the holy and undivided Trinity, to the honor and renown of the Virgin Mother of God…by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ…we declare, pronounce, and define: the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ, savior of the human race, has been revealed by God and must, therefore later, Our Lady appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes and identified herself with the words, “I am the Immaculate Conception.” When it was reported that many miracles were being performed at Lourdes, the faithful throughout the world took this to be a confirmation of the papal definition.

The question becomes “what relevance does this doctrine have for my own spiritual life?” We can find the answer to this question if we reflect on other questions: “Why was it God’s design to preserve Mary from every stain of sin?” “Why did He destine her to attain a degree of holiness far beyond that of any other mere creature?” “And why did God choose to reveal to us the special favors he bestowed upon the lowly handmaid of Nazareth?”

It was fitting that Mary be conceived without sin because she was destined to be the worthy, beloved Mother of the holy God. In preserving Mary from all sin, God prepared a holy tabernacle in which His Son was to dwell, a holy body from which He was to take His humanity, a holy Mother whom He could love with the fullness of His divine/human love. The Immaculate Conception is ultimately a reflection on the holiness of Christ, the incarnate Son of God, with whom Mary was destined to enter into such an intimate relationship.

Sin is alienation from God, disorder in one’s relation to God, a loss of the divine image, a defilement of one’s being. It was fitting that one who was to be the Mother of God never experience such alienation, disorder, loss, or defilement.

Since it was within the power of the Divine Son to bestow this privileged grace upon His dearly loved Mother, Christian piety has believed that so good a Son has done this for so beloved a mother. Here the scotistic principle, Quod potuit, quod decuit, hoc fecit, can rightly be applied. (What was possible, what was fitting, that God did for Mary)-Scotus.

Sincerely in Christ,

Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching