Feast of the Immaculate Conception

Friends in Christ,

"Immaculate Conception" refers to the conception of Mary, not of Jesus. It expresses the belief that from the first moment of her existance ,Mary was free from original sin. This was celebrated as a feast day in England as far back as the 12th Century. The feast was extended to the whole Church by Pope Clement XI in 1708.

Was was December the 8th chose for this feast? In the sixth century, a new churchin Jerusalem ( named in honor of Mary) was dedicated on September the 8th. They decided to celebrate this as the feast of Mary's birth. When, centuries later, a feast developed in honoring her conception, it was a simple matter to place this nine months before the feast of her birth. Thus - December the 8th.

'Joseph her husband, since he was a righteiousman, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly' ( Saint Matthew 1:19)

In the strict interpretation of the law, Mary would be stoned to death by the men of the village. However, Joseph planned to apply the law more mercifully by divorcing her quietly. ( This involved simply putting in writing the fact that he was offcially divorcing her, and having this signed by two witnesses.)

The Latin word for mercy is "misericordia" which comes from the two Latin words: miseria ( misery) and cor (heart). It literally means a " heart filled with misery." We are merciful when we let ourselves experience the misery of another person.

Joseph must have been shocked when he learned that Mary was pregnant ( and he was not the father ). But this was the woman he loved, and in his heart he felt the misery he thought she must be feeling. So he chose misericordia - mercy.

Mercy surrounded Jesus from the first moments of his human life. Later in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus will say:"Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.""

May I like Joseph, bring my share of mercy into this world today. There will be plenty of changes.

Amen.

With every good wish in Christ,

Ed Bakker