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His Eminence Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle led the Mass during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Manila Cathedral on Monday night, December 8, 2014.
His Eminence Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle led the Mass during the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in the Manila Cathedral on Monday night, December 8, 2014.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF MARY THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION?
490 To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.”  The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.  In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
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From the foregoing, Mary the Immaculate Conception means:
In order to become the mother of the Savior, Mary is preserved immune from all stain of original sin from the first moment of her conception by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race and the only begotten Son of God and of Mary.
To belabor the obvious, Mary is the one and only purely human being graced by God with Immaculate Conception, while her only Son Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, is not also the Immaculate Conception but most importantly He is the one and only Divine Conception.
IS THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF MARY NECESSARY FOR THE DIVINE CONCEPTION OF THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD IN HER WOMB?
Biblically speaking the answer is YES based on the following indisputable truths of God:
  1. THE CLEAN CANNOT BE MADE BY THE UNCLEAN.
God sent His only begotten Son to be made of Mary:
  • But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: (Gal 4:4, Douay-Rheims Version)
If Mary is unclean then Jesus Christ is also unclean, for it was written:
  • What can be made clean by the unclean? and what truth can come from that which is false? (Ecclesiasticus or Sirach 34:4, DRV)
Thus, Mary is clean because Jesus Christ, made of her, is clean.
  1. A GOOD FRUIT CANNOT BE BROUGHT FORTH BY AN EVIL TREE.
If Mary is an evil tree, then her fruit is an evil fruit, for it was written:
  • A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can an evil tree bring forth good fruit. (Mt 7:18, DRV)
Thus, Mary is the good tree because Jesus Christ, brought forth from her, is a good fruit.
  1. THE HOLY CANNOT BE WITH THE UNHOLY.
From the first moment of His conception in Mary’s womb, the only begotten Son of God Jesus Christ is called the Holy One:
  • And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. (Lk 1:34-35, DRV)
  • Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God. (Mk 1:24, DRV)
  • Saying: Let us alone, what have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the holy one of God. (Lk 4:34, DRV)
  • But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you. (Acts 3:14, DRV)
If Mary is unholy, then her Son is unholy, for God said:
  • Because it is written: You shall be holy, for I am holy. (1Pt 1:16, DRV)
Thus, Mary is holy because Jesus Christ, her Son, is holy.
THEREFORE, MARY IS THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BECAUSE JESUS CHRIST, HER ONLY SON, IS NOT ONLY THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION BUT FIRST AND FOREMOST THE DIVINE CONCEPTION!
Source: splendorofthechurch.com.ph