December 8- Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

December 8 is one of those days we refer to as "Holy Days of Obligations", special observances throughout the year when Roman Catholics have a duty to celebrate mass. This feast, of the "Immaculate Conception", is one of the most misunderstood of our Holy Days - many Catholics think it refers to the conception of Jesus. It does not. (Conveniently, the observance of Jesus' conception is celebrated exactly 9 months before Christmas, on March 25: the "Annunciation")  It does nothing to lessen the confusion that the Gospel read on December 8th is Luke's recounting of the Annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary!

I can think of three good reasons to use this Gospel:
1) Mary's role as the mother of Jesus, which she embraced at the Annunciation, was an acceptance that required all the strength and grace a human could muster ... a gift God gave Mary at her own conception to keep her from sin ('full of grace') throughout her life.
2) From the 'it is fitting' school of thought - if God was to become human, God would deserve nothing but the best (e.g., would you really want to drink fine wine from paper cups?!), and to use old terminology, the 'stainless vessel' of Mary, sinless from the first instant of her life, was the most fitting means of the Incarnation.
3) Compare the Gospel with the first reading - a Genesis version of sin entering the world through Eve (AND Adam) succumbing to the temptation of the serpent. Through previously sinless Eve sin entered the world, and through the miraculously sinless Mary, the 'new Eve', the means of salvation from sin was born into our world.
oh, and 4) not so good a reason, but a practical one: there really is no Scriptural evidence for the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception beyond the angel's brief reference to Mary as "full of grace", and her cousin Elizabeth's later greeting her as "blessed among women".

This doctrine emerged gradually over the course of over a dozen centuries, culminating in a definitive declaration in 1854 by Pope Pius IX. Her feast was first celebrated in the late 7th century in the Byzantine (Eastern) church, and spread in popular devotion among the faithful, but it was still a theological difficulty in the Western (Roman) church. "The great scholastics of the thirteenth century were unable to reconcile Mary's Immaculate Conception with the universal need for salvation by Christ. Finally, John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) was chiefly responsible for introducing the notion of 'preservative' redemption into the explicit consciousness of the church..." (The New Dictionary of Theology, The Liturgical Press)

But let's put this a bit more simply: every time we honor Mary, what we say about her is both a reflection of what we believe about Jesus, and what we hope for or anticipate for ourselves. So in this case, we celebrate the redemptive power of God through Jesus Christ to save us from the power of sin, enabling Mary physically and us spiritually to freely say 'yes' to God's invitation to carry Jesus in our lives.

Mary, the Immaculate Conception is the patroness of the United States (and three parishes in the Diocese of Raleigh, in Clinton, Durham and Wilmington). Masses for the Holy Day will be celebrated at St. Andrew on Tuesday Dec 8 at 6:30 and 9:00 AM and 7:30 PM.