What is the Immaculate Conception? Today is a Holy Day of Obligation celebrating the Immaculate Conception. But what is the Immaculate Conception? Is it when Jesus was conceived? In regards to questions of Catholic faith, Catholic is full of great answers from apologetics. There is a lot of great information about the Immaculate Conception. Its important to understand what the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is and what it is not. Some people think the term refers to Christs conception in Marys womb without the intervention of a human father; but that is the Virgin Birth. Others think the Immaculate Conception means Mary was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, in the way Jesus was, but that, too, is incorrect. The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain-thats what immaculate means: without stain. The essence of original sin consists in the deprivation of sanctifying grace, and its stain is a corrupt nature. Mary was preserved from these defects by Gods grace; from the first instant of her existence she was in the state of sanctifying grace and was free from the corrupt nature original sin brings. When discussing the Immaculate Conception, an implicit reference may be found in the angels greeting to Mary. The angel Gabriel said, Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you (Luke 1:28). The phrase full of grace is a translation of the Greek word kecharitomene. It therefore expresses a characteristic quality of Mary. The traditional translation, full of grace, is better than the one found in many recent versions of the New Testament, which give something along the lines of highly favored daughter. Mary was indeed a highly favored daughter of God, but the Greek implies more than that (and it never mentions the word for daughter). The grace given to Mary is at once permanent and of a unique kind. Kecharitomene is a perfect passive participle of charitoo, meaning to fill or endow with grace. Since this term is in the perfect tense, it indicates that Mary was graced in the past but with continuing effects in the present. So, the grace Mary enjoyed was not a result of the angels visit. In fact, Catholics hold, it extended over the whole of her life, from conception onward. She was in a state of sanctifying grace from the first moment of her existence. Mary, too, required a Savior. Like all other descendants of Adam, she was subject to the necessity of contracting original sin. But by a special intervention of God, undertaken at the instant she was conceived, she was preserved from the stain of original sin and its consequences. She was therefore redeemed by the grace of Christ, but in a special way-by anticipation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that she was redeemed in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son (CCC 492). She has more reason to call God her Savior than we do, because he saved her in an even more glorious manner!
Posted on: Mon, 08 Dec 2014 12:31:22 +0000
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