What is the Immaculate Conception?

Question: "What is the Immaculate Conception?"

Answer: Many people mistakenly believe that the Immaculate Conception refers to the conception of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ conception was most assuredly immaculate—that is, without the stain of sin—but the Immaculate Conception does not refer to Jesus at all. The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church in regards to Mary, Jesus’ mother. The official statement of the doctrine reads, “The blessed Virgin Mary to have been, from the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of the merits of Christ Jesus the Savior of Mankind, preserved free from all stain of original sin” (Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 1854). Essentially, the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was protected from original sin, that Mary did not have a sin nature and was, in fact, sinless.

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Mary's Immaculate Conception by Father William G. Most

Mary's Immaculate Conception

by Father William G. Most

In teaching that Mary was conceived immaculate, the Catholic Church teaches that from the very moment of her conception, the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from all stain of original sin. This simply means that from the beginning, she was in a state of grace, sharing in God's own life, and that she was free from the sinful inclinations which have beset human nature after the fall.

History of the Doctrine

There are two passages in Scripture which point us to this truth. We look first at Genesis 3.15, in which we see the parallel between Mary and Eve of which the early Church Fathers already spoke: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed: he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." The Jews saw this passage as referring to the struggle between Christ and Satan, and so the Church see in "the woman" a prophetic foreshadowing of the Virgin Mary (Vatican II, Lumen gentium, # 55). Continue Reading

2nd Sunday of Advent Year A By Tobe Eze

2ND SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A

FIRST READING

Isaiah 11:1—10

SECOND READING

Romans 15:4—9

GOSPEL

Matthew 3:1—12

THEME: HE IS COMING FOR PEACE AND JUSTICE.

He is the Prince of peace. He comes to give peace, peace that last. In the Communion Rite of the Eucharistic celebration the Church recognized Jesus as the Prince of peace with his words “Lord Jesus Christ, who said to your Apostles: Peace I leave you, my peace I give you; look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign for ever and ever. (Udo ka mụ n' ahapụrụ unu, udo nkem ka mụ n' enye unu, elekwala anya na njọ anyị kama lekwasa anya n' okwukwe nke nzụkọ gị, nye ya udo na ịdịkọ n' otu mgbe nile dịka Uche gị siri chọọ. Gị bụ onye dị ndụ na achị ebebe ebebe”.) In the first reading, we can see the peace that will come on that day. Peace even among animals. Coming to us the people of God, some of us are more deadly than those animals mentioned in the first reading. But this coming of Christ can change many things. Some individuals are even dangerous to themselves talk more to others. Some Families are fighting more than those animals mentioned in the first reading. Coming to communities, it will be worse. In the first reading, despite how dangerous all those animals mentioned are, when the day comes, Continue Reading

Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II

Pope Emeritus Benedict breaks silence: speaks of ‘deep crisis’ facing Church post-Vatican II 

catholic , pope benedict xvi

March 16, 2016 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- On March 16, speaking publicly on a rare occasion, Pope Benedict XVI gave an interview (English translation) to Avvenire, the daily newspaper of the Italian Bishops' Conference, in which he spoke of a “two-sided deep crisis” the Church is facing in the wake of the Second Vatican Council. The report has already hit Germany courtesy of Vaticanist Guiseppe Nardi, of the German Catholic news website Katholisches.info. 

Pope Benedict reminds us of the formerly indispensable Catholic conviction of the possibility of the loss of eternal salvation, or that people go to hell: 

The missionaries of the 16th century were convinced that the unbaptized person is lost forever. After the [Second Vatican] Council, this conviction was definitely abandoned. The result was a two-sided, deep crisis. Without this attentiveness to the salvation, the Faith loses its foundation. 

He also speaks of a “profound evolution of Dogma” with respect to the Dogma that there is no salvation outside the Church. This purported change of dogma has led, in the pope's eyes, to a loss of the missionary zeal in the Church – “any motivation for a future missionary commitment was removed.”  Continue Reading

Cardinal Wuerl calls Cardinal Burke a ‘dissenter’: pot calls the kettle black

Cardinal Wuerl calls Cardinal Burke a ‘dissenter’: pot calls the kettle black 

catholic , communion to pro-abortion politicians , donald wuerl , raymond burke

February 18, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- On his official blog, Washington, D.C., Cardinal Donald Wuerl made a rather obvious reference to Cardinal Raymond Burke, calling him a “dissenter.” Referring to “an interview and an article by brother bishops who are less than enthusiastic about Pope Francis,” Cardinal Wuerl was unmistakably pointing to Cardinal Burke, whose interview with France2 days earlier was making the rounds on the Internet. 

While newsworthy, the interview with Cardinal Burke was rather mundane in that he merely said he would be willing to “resist” Pope Francis, if the pontiff were to attempt to change the Church's practice of denying Communion to those in “second marriages.” Pope Francis has never said he would change the current Church practice, even though powerful cardinals surrounding him have suggested the move. 

After introducing the unnamed bishop who was critical of Pope Francis in an interview, Cardinal Wuerl runs through dissenters from papal teaching in recent history, noting, “a common thread that runs through all of these dissenters” is that “they disagree with the Pope because he does not agree with them and therefore follow their position.” 

Cardinal Wuerl is here on new ground. For years he was, by his own definition, the “dissenter” under Popes John Paul II and Pope Benedict. The issue also revolved around Holy Communion. However, rather than giving Communion to divorced and remarried, the previous popes were asking that Communion be denied to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. Continue Reading

Pope Emeritus Benedict considers Cardinal Burke among ‘great Cardinals’

Pope Emeritus Benedict considers Cardinal Burke among ‘great Cardinals’ 

cardinal raymond burke , catholic , pope benedict xvi

Vatican watchers are pointing to a letter written by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI this week as an indication of his approval of Vatican Cardinal Raymond Burke who is soon to be ousted from his Vatican post and given a mere honorary position. 

The pope’s letter came in response to an invitation to attend a traditional Latin Mass celebrated in St. Peter’s Basilica by Cardinal Burke. He had to decline the invitation because he lives as a “cloistered monk,” leaving the cloister only when “personally invited by the Pope.”  Continue Reading

Priest tells Fox News he was ‘upset’ Clinton cited Pope Francis to justify some of her positions

Priest tells Fox News he was ‘upset’ Clinton cited Pope Francis to justify some of her positions 

2016 presidential election , al smith dinner , anti-catholic bigotry , hillary clinton , pope francis

October 23, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Once again a leading opponent of Catholic moral teachings, this time Hillary Clinton, has cited Pope Francis to give credibility to her actions. In a Fox news interview, Fr. Gerald Murray gives clear reasons why some of Clinton's remarks at the Al Smith dinner were highly inappropriate and that she should have used the event to publicly disown the anti-Catholic bigotry in her staff emails revealed by Wikileaks. Continue Reading

Germany’s youngest bishop takes bold stand for marriage

Germany’s youngest bishop takes bold stand for marriage 

bishop stefan oster , catholic , communion for remarried , synod on the family

April 29, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- In preparation of the upcoming Synod of Bishops on the Family in Rome, more voices can be gathered that bring up very valuable arguments in defense of the Catholic Church's moral teaching. 

The youngest Catholic bishop in Germany at 49, Bishop Stefan Oster of Passau, who came into his current office only in May 2014, chose as his motto: "Victoria Veritatis Caritas" ("The victory of truth is love"). Fittingly, he has soon after his consecration as bishop taken up the task of speaking the truth in charity. In the context of the last Synod of Bishops of October 2014, and since then, he has come out with some very differentiated and calm, as well as refreshingly original, argumentations against the professedly progressive forces within the Church. Continue Reading

Cardinal Burke destroys Cupich’s claim that pope’s exhortation is a ‘game changer’

Cardinal Burke destroys Cupich’s claim that pope’s exhortation is a ‘game changer’ 

blase cupich , catholic , pope francis , raymond burke , synod on the family

April 11, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Cardinal Burke’s first reaction to Pope Francis’ controversial post-synodal exhortation Amoris Laetitia takes aim at those who claim it is a “revolution” in the Church’s practices. 

The most notable advocate of that view in the U.S. is Chicago’s Archbishop Blase Cupich, who called the exhortation a “game changer” that could relax the Church’s approach to Holy Communion for the divorced and remarried and those in same-sex relationships. Continue Reading

Top Vatican judge doubles down against four Cardinals: ‘They gave the Pope a slap in the face’

Top Vatican judge doubles down against four Cardinals: ‘They gave the Pope a slap in the face’ 

amoris laetitia , catholic , dubia , four cardinals letter , pope francis , vito pinto

ROME, December 2, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – The head of the Vatican’s highest appeals court has doubled down on his criticism of the four Cardinals calling for clarification of Amoris Laetitia, telling another news agency that their act amounted to a "slap in the face." 

Msgr. Vito Pinto had called the dubia a “very serious scandal” only days ago, in comments reported by Spanish news agency Religión Confidencial. Continue Reading