Mary of Nazareth, the Sinless Woman
Today, we celebrate the feast of Mary’s immaculate conception. It is one of the most important feasts in the Catholic Church.
The doctrine about the sinless nature of Mary caused so much controversy among Christian churches. For some church leaders, particularly in the Coptic Orthodox and Protestant churches, Mary is just an ordinary woman. But for Pope Piux IX, Mary was free from original sin, even at the time of her conception.
As a Marian devotee, I was first introduced to one of her titles, “Immaculate Conception.” And for me, the sinlessness of Mary makes so much sense. Will God allow His Son to be born by a sinful human? Of course not! He will choose a spotless and clean vessel to become His Child’s home for nine months.
Besides, Archangel Gabriel uttered these words, announcing the advent of the Son of God, through Mary:
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Blessed and full of grace — two adjectives which perfectly describe Mary’s personality.
Besides, Mother Mary was the person who God prophesied himself in the book of Genesis:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Emphasis is mine.)
She’s the new Eve who has given birth to Jesus, the world’s savior.
Oh, Mary! Conceived without sin, pray for us who recourse to thee. Amen.
