Immaculate Conception of Mary

-

In the Catholic tradition, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary every year on December 8. That yearly celebration reminds us that Mary was conceived without sin. Though Mary had ordinary human parents who conceived her in the usual way, God had already redeemed Mary from original sin the moment her parents conceived her.  

That kind of redemption from original sin that Mary had is the same kind of redemption that Jesus would giving to everyone when he grew up to be a man. Mary had received it earlier because she would be playing the crucial role as the biological mother of God. In Luke 1: 26 -28, the verses strongly suggest that Mary had received that kind of redemption ahead of time.

As a Catholic myself, I have mistakenly thought that the Immaculate Conception celebration was about Mary's conception and virgin birth of Jesus. I have studied in Catholic schools in my young life and I guess I did not pay attention when that doctrine was being taught during Religion classes. It's an old Catholic Church doctrine proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Anyway, thanks to credible online sources that provided clarity to that misconception which I held for years. 

The tons of arguments to this doctrine had been resolved by our church fathers more than a hundred years ago and for sure the Holy Spirit has inspired that idea. Mary herself had given proof to that idea during her apparition in Lourdes, France in 1858.  She introduced herself as the "Immaculate Conception" to a 14-year old shepherd girl named Bernadette Soubirous.

If we think about it in practical sense, the Immaculate Conception idea makes perfect sense. In our homes for example, if we are going to prepare and serve bread or any kind of food to family, friends and guests, it should be served in clean containers. It would be disgusting to anyone, if we serve bread or food in a unwashed containers with traces of dirt and food from past meals.

During Jesus' earthly ministry, he claimed that he is the bread of life that will provide nourishment to our soul (John 6:35).  The bread that he was referring to is not the edible kind of bread, but the spiritual bread that offers spiritual renewal towards salvation.

Following the practical example, Mary conceived Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Mary served as the container, so to speak, for Jesus to come into this world, be with mankind and to offer salvation. Mary had to be free from original sin else the bread of life that Jesus is offering would be contaminated from sin and would not be fit to feed our souls.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Seventies - The "Disco" Era

-
Image
The seventies was undoubtedly the "disco" era.  As a teenager, I listened and danced to the distinct sound of that era. When "Saturday Night Fever" hit the movie theaters in 1978,  I became an avid fan of the Bee Gees and other bands that played the disco sound.   Besides listening to disco sound, I also mimicked dance steps like the "swing" and "L.A. shuffle" from a local popular TV show the "Penthouse Seven." I strutted my stuff every time  I danced with a partner at birthday parties held in friends' residences. Bands that dished out disco tunes during the '70s were  ABBA  with their  song "Dancing Queen";   Donna Summer 's   goosebumps-raising song "Last Dance."  Other bands like  KC and the Sunshine Band ,  The Trammps ,  Van McCoy ,  Gloria Gaynor ,  The Village People ,  Chic , and  The Jacksons   also flooded the radio airwaves in the '70s .   I even followed their progress over the loc
Read more

Grandfather@50

-
Image
I will be turning 50 before the  end of this year, and what better way to usher in my golden boy status is becoming a bonafide grandfather.  I now have a grandson, his name is Samien. He was born on April 25, 2012. His parents say that the name means "to be heard".  I guess their choice was right because when Samien cries, he is really heard by everybody. I noticed remarkable things in Samien.  While just a new born, he showed to us that he has strong legs and arms.  He can push himself upwards in the crib and was tireless in raising his small arms every  now and then.  Also, he is not the quiet type because he always cries and laughs unlike other babies inside the nursery who are peacefully asleep.  At three months old, he speaks amusing although unintelligible syllables.  Also, at three months, he is rather long for babies his age and quite heavy for a three month old baby.  He weighed in at 5 kilogram during his visit to his pediatrician. Samien, quite surprisingly
Read more

Organic Rice in the Philippines For Healthy Living

-
Image
Do you prefer healthy living? Go organic rice! Health buffs would like to get their hands on real organic rice. If you're one of them, do you know which ones are authentic organic rice? This blog will tell you all you need to know about organic rice. Some people think that organic rice is red and brown rice variety only.  Not really. It comes in other varieties and colors such as white, black, etc.  The idea that red and brown alone are organic rice is wrong.  These rice varieties are now sold under specific brands in leading supermarkets in the Philippines, however, not all of them are organic rice. But how will you know if you're buying organic rice or not? Organic rice is farmed without using synthetic fertilizer and chemical pesticide inputs. Besides the inputs, there are other things to consider such as -  How was it planted? What were the farming methods used? Was there contamination along the supply chain until it has reached the end consumer? There are variet
Read more