*First and foremost: The Immaculate Conception is about the conception of MARY, NOT JESUS. We celebrate her birthday on September 8, nine months later. The conception of Jesus is celebrated on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel came to Mary and declared God’s will for her that she become the Mother of God. The virgin birth of Jesus is then celebrated nine months later on December 25!
So, now that we have that straight, what is the Immaculate Conception? The Immaculate Conception is the dogma, as defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854, that Mary was conceived in her mother’s womb without the stain of Original Sin. She is immaculate, or pure! She had the fullness of God’s sanctifying grace in her life from the moment of the beginning of her existence. How do we know this? From God’s Revelation. In Luke’s Gospel, the Angel Gabriel declared to Mary: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk. 1:28) This also comes to us as: “Hail (Mary) full of grace, the Lord is with thee.” Sound familiar? It is the beginning of the “Hail Mary”. It continues: “Blessed art thou among women,” which is from the greeting Elizabeth gave to Mary in Luke 1:41. Further: "And blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." Mary always points to Jesus!
Does this mean that Mary did not need salvation from Jesus Christ? No! Her fullness of grace was given to her by God in anticipation of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. But why was she given this gift and not the rest of us? Because she is the Mother of God! She was given this special gift in anticipation of her fiat, or yes, to God’s request that she become the Mother of God. A side note: She is the patroness of the United States of America! And so, we pray: Immaculate Mary, pray for us.
*By Bartolomé Esteban Murillo - [2], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3118612
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