The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception
On the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Church celebrates and affirms her teaching that Mary, by "…a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin ..." (Ineffabilis Deus, 1854).
Officially declared as a dogma of faith in 1854 by Pope Pius IX, this article of faith proclaims that Mary, at the point of her conception, was already made free from sin. And by an extension of this grace, the Church also teaches that Mary was free from sin throughout her lifetime.
If Mary was sinless, does this mean that she was not in need of a saviour? No. On the contrary, as the one specially chosen by God to bear Christ into the world, Mary had to be given an even greater measure of grace to fulfil her role in God's plan of salvation. This meant that while humanity fell into the well of original sin and had to be pulled out by Christ, Jesus saved Mary by a singular grace which prevented her from ever falling in the first place.
Personally for myself, when I first heard of the Immaculate Conception, it was a hard teaching to grasp. What does it mean to have someone that was conceived sinless? Is God playing favourites? However, over time, I have come to see that God's extraordinary work in Mary was not just for a singular person, but for all of us too. God allows our blessed Mother to be a conduit of His graces, so that we too might join her in Heaven. Indeed it was in the times when I've felt nervous in approaching the confessional that I’ve sensed her gentle encouragement, in the particularly overwhelming seasons of life that I’ve felt her comfort, and through friends who have found the church through her that I see her motherly love.
As she puts it best in her own words to St. Juan Diego. "Let your heart not be disturbed…Am I not here who am your Mother?”
On this feast, let us remember that through the Immaculate Conception, God has given to his church the great gift of his mother. Through her, we find an exemplar of discipleship, an unfailing fount of grace, and a Heavenly Queen who constantly provides for us a sure way to Heaven.