The Immaculate Conception is a Catholic
dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved by
God from the stain of
original sin at the time of her own conception. Specifically, the dogma says she was not afflicted by the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts humankind, but was instead filled with grace by God, and furthermore lived a life completely free from
sin. It is commonly confused with the doctrine of the incarnation and virgin birth, though the two deal with separate subjects. According to the dogma, Mary was conceived by normal biological means, but her soul was acted upon by God (kept "immaculate") at the time of her conception.
The Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by
Pope Pius IX in his constitution
Ineffabilis Deus, published
December 8,
1854 (the
Feast of the Immaculate Conception), and consecrated by
Pope Pius XII in
1942.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary had been established in
1476 by Pope Sixtus IV who stopped short of defining the doctrine as a dogma of the Catholic Faith, thus giving Catholics freedom to believe in this or not; this freedom had been reiterated by the
Council of Trent. The existence of the feast was a strong indication of the Church´s belief in the Immaculate Conception, even before its 19th century definition as a dogma.
The Catholic Church believes the dogma is supported by scripture (e.g. her being greeted by Angel Gabriel as "full of Grace"), as well as either directly or indirectly by the writings of many of the
Church Fathers, and often calls Mary the Blessed Virgin ( Luke
1:48). Catholic theology maintains that since Jesus became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, she needed to be completely free of sin to bear the Son of God, and that Mary is "redeemed 'by the grace of
Christ' but in a more perfect manner than other human beings" (Ott, Fund., Bk 3, Pt. 3, Ch. 2, §3.1.e).
In the Catholic Church, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on 8 December is generally a
Holy Day of Obligation, and a public holiday in countries where Catholicism is predominant. Prior to the spread of this doctrine, December 8 was celebrated as the Conception of Mary, since September 8 is the Feast of the Nativity of Mary.
Click here for more on the Immaculate Conception...
