Today, December 8, we Filipino Catholics celebrate one of the most popular religious feasts in the country
~ the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, mother of Jesus.
Today's feast gives honor to the Blessed Virgin Mary who was conceived in her mother's womb without the mark of original sin.
As a Holy Day of obligation, devout Catholics are expected to troop to different churches to hear mass.
(I feel blessed to attend one with my family today.)
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates the Catholic dogma,
"Ineffabilis Deus",
defined by Pope Pius IX on Dec.8, 1854:
"We firmly believe that the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin."
Mary was conceived without original sin
~ this is the summary of the dogma of the Church on the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
God prepared Mary to be the mother of Jesus right from the moment of her conception.
The Catholic Church says that the greatest proof for this is the greeting of the angel Gabriel to Mary when the angel announced to Mary that she was chosen by God to be the mother of God's son:
"Hail Mary, full of grace!" (Luke 1:28)
The greeting means that God looked with favor upon Mary.
She was full of God's abundant graces and blessings.
She remained in God's grace throughout her life.
The church says, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is a reminder of our duty as Christians to always do the will of God.
We may not be free from sin like Mary but we call and always look up to her as a model of total submission to the will of God.
We can always imitate her generosity
~ of giving her all to God without counting the cost and without asking for anything in return.
Her entire life was lived always in constant communion with the Lord, making her a genuine disciple of Jesus, her Son.
The Immaculate Conception is the principal patroness of the Philippines.
As Filipino Christians celebrating her feast day today, let us thank her for showing us an example of purity, generosity, and total submission to the will of God.
Let us ask her to continue to guide us in our earthly pilgrimage.
Let us ask her to pray for us to God so that we may also be filled with grace and God's blessings like her.
Sending wishes of peace and happiness
to all my readers, friends, and loved ones
on this blessed day.
Love and light,
SAL ♥
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