Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. Pray especially for the enemies of the Church & those most in need of your mercy.Scripture of the Day
Mass Readings—Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Book of Genesis, chapter three, verses nine thru fifteen & twenty;
Psalm Ninety-eight (R/. one), verses one, two & three(a/b), & three(c/d) & four;
The Letter to the Ephesians, chapter one, verses three thru six, eleven, & twelve;
The Gospel according to Luke, chapter one, verses twenty-six thru thirty-eight.
Commentary: Advent Gospel reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):
Friends, today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Kecharitomene (full of grace). Why would God do such a thing? And wouldn’t this imply that Mary does not need to be redeemed?
In 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception—the truth that Mary, through a special grace, was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception.
Were this not the case, the angel would not have referred to her at the Annunciation as
The traditional answer is that God wanted to prepare a worthy vessel for the reception of his Word. Just as the Holy of Holies in the temple was kept pure and inviolate, so the definitive Temple, the true Ark of the Covenant, which is Mary herself, should all the more be untrammeled.
Bl. John Duns Scotus explained that Mary is indeed redeemed by the grace of her Son, but since that grace exists outside of time, it can be applied in a way that transcends the ordinary rhythms of time.
Therefore, Mary, by a kind of preemptive strike, was preserved by Christ’s grace from original sin.
Reflect: What role does the Blessed Virgin Mary play in your life?Video reflection by Father John M. McKenzie (U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops): Daily Reflection.
Video reflection by Doctor Scott Hahn (St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology): Daily Reflection.
The Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-five (verses one thru twenty-five);
Commentary: The Righteousness of God's Judgment (Isaiah, 65:1-25).
Papal Quote o' the Day
"Mary Immaculate, she who has been redeemed in a privileged manner, is the sign of the beginning of God's project to make all things new. It is she who unveils, with her singular grace, the new life introduced by God the Father into the most intimate depths of the human person."Mother Teresa Quote o' the Day
—Pope St. John Paul II the Great (1920-2005, r. 1978-2005; feast: 22 October)
"We need to know when we say yes to God exactly what is in that yes. Yes means 'I surrender'—totally, fully, without any counting the cost, without asking, 'Is it convenient?' Our yes to God is without any reservations."Saint Quote o' the Day
—St. Teresa of Calcutta, M.C. (1910-1997, feast: 5 September)
"Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by the accidents of time, or place, or circumstances, are brought into closer connection with you."Archbishop Sheen Quote o' the Day
—St. Augustine of Hippo, Doctor of the Church (354-430, feast: 28 August)
"Our human nature was very much like a polluted stream up until the Incarnation. Imagine a ship, for example, sailing in polluted waters. It wishes to sail in clear waters, but without the pollution coming from one into the other. How could the transfer of the ship be made except by a lock? So the ship in the foul waters would be put into a lock where there would be a separation of waters, then the ship would be raised to the level of the unpolluted waters. Now the Immaculate Conception & the virgin birth were that lock. The pollution stopped because there was no union of man & woman. It was simply woman alone who gave a human nature to Christ & began the new humanity."
—Ven. Fulton Sheen (1895-1979)
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