Dear St. Martin’s Parishioners,
This Sunday is December 8, which is normally the celebration of the Immaculate Conception. Because it falls on a Sunday in Advent, the Church moves the celebration of the Immaculate Conception to Monday, December 9, this year. Cardinal Gregory recently decided that the Monday celebration of the Immaculate Conception will not be a holy day of obligation, but I strongly urge you to attend Mass on Monday. Pope Pius IX entrusted the United States to the protection of Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception in 1847, so she is the patroness of our nation. You might say that this is our national feast day.
When Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1854 in Lourdes, France, she declared herself to be the Immaculate Conception. That is, she identified herself as the one who was conceived free of original sin. The defining characteristic of our Blessed Mother is her sinlessness and full possession of the grace of the Holy Spirit. Every other grace and virtue of Mary’s flows from this original grace. Analogously, we could say of ourselves that every virtuous and graced aspect of our lives flows from the original grace of our baptism. In baptism, the chasm separating us from God was closed, and we were restored to communion with the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit filled us with his divine life, so much so that we became temples of the same Spirit.
On the day of our baptism we became God’s adopted children, and Mary’s as well. She is the greatest of mothers, as she comforts, encourages, inspires, teaches and loves us unconditionally. God willing, when we enter the Kingdom of God after our death, we will be fully aware of how much we owe our Blessed Mother for her guidance and protection throughout our lives. Of course, she desires no credit or undo attention for herself, but nonetheless we should desire to honor and venerate her as much as possible. For this reason, and for so many more, I encourage you to attend Mass on Monday with grateful hearts for the gift of our Blessed Mother. Long live Mary, the Immaculate Conception!
In Christ,
Fr. Dave
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