Feast Of The Immaculate Conception - December 8, 2016

"The Immaculate Conception refers to the condition that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from Original Sin from the very moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. We celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary—her birth—on September 8; nine months before that is December 8, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception." [1] [Hyperlinks omitted.]

"Many people, including many Catholics, think that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Christ through the action of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That event, though, is celebrated at the feast of the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25, nine months before Christmas)." [2] [Hyperlinks omitted.]

In the words of Blessed John Duns Scotus "who presented a systematic theology of the Marian privilege of the Immaculate Conception, which the Catholic Church officially proclaimed as a Dogma of Faith in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus of Pope Pius IX (8th December 1854)" [3]:

"Christ was the most perfect mediator.  Therefore he exercised the highest degree of mediation in favour of another person.  Now he could not be a most perfect mediator and could not repair the effects of sin to the highest degree if he did not preserve his Mother from original sin (as we shall prove).  Therefore, since he was the most perfect mediator regarding the person of his Mother, from this it follows that he preserved her from original sin." [4]

That was John Duns Scotus' first argument, asserting that Christ was the most perfect mediator. [5]  This opening salvo left those who opposed Scotus without any chance to recover.  Noel Muscat, OFM, speaking of Scotus, stated that "in all his arguments in this question on the Immaculate Conception, is the verb 'to preserve'." [6]  More than to preserve, this blogger believes that Christ, the perfect mediator, not only found it essential that His Mother be "preserved" from the stain of Original Sin, but to love His Mother perfectly, as only Christ, the God-Son can, and as any son of his mother would want to.

Because of the perfect love the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, had received, She is in turn continuously giving this love to all, as the perfect intercessor for all sinners.  It is on the day of the Feast of the Immaculate Conception that one ought to remember especially Christ's perfect love for His Mother that She would be preserved from Original Sin, Her absolute obedience to God and Her unconditional love She has for each and every sinner.


+ In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti +



[1] http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/f/Imm_Concept_FAQ.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.christendom-awake.org/pages/marian/scotus&immac.htm
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.