A centuries-long journey that led to the establishment of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, consequently, to its Feast, which is celebrated every year on December 8th.
What is celebrated on 8 December, the day of the Immaculate Conception?
On the day of the Immaculate Conception, we remember that Mary was born without original sin. The attribute “Immaculate” refers to the purity of the mother of Jesus from the moment of her conception and not, as is sometimes mistakenly thought, to her virginity. According to the Church, every person is born with original sin, but God wanted the Mother of His Son to be a special creation for the role she would fulfill, and thus she was born without the stain of sin.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception and the dogma of universal original sin.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception clashed with another very important dogma: the dogma of the universality of original sin, according to which every human is born with sin. On one hand, it was inconceivable for the faithful to think that Mary was born with sin and thus had a corrupt soul like every other living being. On the other hand, for many theologians, the question arose of how to reconcile these two opposing dogmas and explain that Mary was an exception to the second dogma.
Strong faith in the Immaculate Conception
In this case, popular faith played a very important role. The early Christian communities firmly believed in the holiness of Mary, demonstrating from the very beginning a high level of reverence for the mother of Jesus. The faithful were reluctant to accept preachers who argued that Mary was born with original sin, and in addition to the spread of celebrations dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, there was also the early rise of numerous Confraternities of the Immaculate Conception, as well as the construction of chapels and altars.
The debate in the West became lively around the 12th century, but to understand how the theological issue was resolved, it is important to know the thinking of St. Augustine. He, like St. Thomas, was one of the Church Fathers who most strongly supported the universality of original sin, thus believing that even Mary was born with sin. However, St. Augustine also affirmed that, since all are born in sin, we all need God’s redemption, including the Virgin Mary.
It was in the 9th century that the theologian Paschasius Radbertus developed St. Augustine’s thought by elaborating on the concept of pre-redemption: everyone is in need of redemption because they are sinners, including Mary. In her case, however, redemption was applied even before her birth: from the very moment of her conception, Mary was already filled with the grace of God the Father, who, for the mother of His Son, could only desire a sacred and immaculate womb.
Duns Scotus, later called the Doctor of the Immaculate by Pope John Paul II, and Eadmer were the theologians who, in the early 1300s, theologically formulated the argument of “preventive redemption.” Duns Scotus quoted the passage from the Gospel where the Angel addresses Mary, calling her “full of grace,” as proof of her holiness and purity: what God has accomplished in Mary is a sign of His immense mercy and omnipotence.
Who proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception?
A strong impetus to dogmatically recognize the Immaculate Conception came in the 1800s from a series of Marian apparitions: in 1830, St. Catherine Labouré prayed before the second vision of the Madonna with the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to You!”; in 1857, after the dogma had already been promulgated, the Madonna appeared to Bernadette Soubirous at Lourdes, introducing herself as “the Immaculate Conception.”
It was Pope Pius IX who proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception with these words: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin.” It was December 8, 1854, and with the bull “Ineffabilis Deus,” the Church put a firm end to centuries of discernment. This is why the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 8.
To conclude, a thought from Pope Francis on this important feast: “The attitude of Mary of Nazareth shows us that being comes before doing, and that we must allow God to act in us to truly be as He wants us to be. Mary is receptive, but not passive.”
Arte Ricami
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Sources:
Vaticannews 23-101-2020
Medjugorje altervista Father Livio 23-11-2020
Avvenire 23-11-2020
