“So why does Mary have to be immaculately conceived?””……Because it is a holy Church. One, holy, catholic, and apostolic. There are sinful people in the Church, like me, and if it were just me in the Church it wouldn’t be a very holy Church. But I am part of something that is wonderfully holy because it has always had members of it who are holy, the first one being the Blessed Mother.”

Gospel Text: (Lk 1:26-38)

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

 

In creating our Blessed Mother immaculately, God did not keep her to Himself.  He was not selfish with her. Instead, He chose to make this perfection of His creation our own mother.  The Immaculate Mother Mary is now our spiritual mother in the order of God’s grace and mercy.  This, also, is an act of perfect gratuitous mercy on the part of our loving God.  We do not deserve such a spiritual mother and protectress, but we have her and she is always there interceding for us and bestowing many graces from God upon us as a perfect mother would.