The Immaculate Conception of Mary
A national holiday, a holy day of obligation, the “National Fiesta” (considering that the Immaculate Conception is the Principal Patroness of the Philippines), this is how revered this day is, especially in the Filipino context. So remarkable is this celebration that in 1910, the Holy See granted an indult permitting the use of cerulean (blue) vestments in all Masses today in the entire archipelago. This privilege is granted only to the Philippines and some other former Spanish territories.
Theologically, the Immaculate Conception of Mary was defined as a dogma in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, when he invoked his infallible teaching authority as the Successor of Peter. However, this doctrine can be traced back to the earliest years of the Church, albeit not as a dogma that requires the beliefs of all Christians. This, however, does not lead to the premise that before 1854, only a few Catholics believed in the Immaculate Conception. On the contrary, belief in the Immaculate Conception was near-unanimous even before it was proclaimed dogma. As early as 1578, the newly-established cathedral of Manila was placed under the patronage of the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
The dogma on the Immaculate Conception can be found in the Bible when we read Luke 1 in light of Genesis 2 and 3. In Genesis 2:32, man was made in the image and likeness of God. Because of this, man enjoyed God’s supreme gift to him: sanctifying grace. This grace links man to God, and because of it, he enjoyed the abundant graces of God, as shown in Genesis 2:16, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden.” Like God, man was free from sin and was not subject to suffering and death.
However, in Genesis 3, both Adam and Eve were tricked by the serpent and fell to sin. By doing this, man lost the sanctifying grace and consequently became subject to suffering and death. But because of God’s great love for man, he made a promise of redemption immediately after the Fall, as shown in Genesis 3:15. He said to the serpent, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” This verse can only be understood when the Gospels enter the picture.
In Luke 1:28, the angel Gabriel greeted Mary, saying, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Unlike the rest of mankind who lost sanctifying grace, Mary was referred to by the angel as someone full of this grace. The term “full of grace” can also be found in Acts 6:8 where Stephen was referred to as someone “full of grace”. However, the context of that verse shows us that Stephen was filled with grace at that very moment because of his strong faith amidst persecution, which culminated to his martyrdom. The angel’s sudden greeting to Mary, on the other hand, shows that Mary is permanently, and not just instantaneously, “full of grace.”
By saying this greeting, it became revealed to us that at this point, God is already fulfilling His promise of redemption, which He made in Genesis 3:15. Mary is a woman who enjoys sanctifying grace, and therefore, is free from any stain of sin. She was perfectly an image and likeness of God. Whatever Eve was before the Fall, Mary is. She is the one capable of having enmity with the Devil. Her offspring, our Lord Jesus Christ, struck the head of the Devil by His Death and Resurrection.
“We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful” (Pope Pius IX in Ineffabilis Deus)
NB: This story was originally published at www.facebook.com/dcfvanguardsoftruth
