BY JOHN HAMMES

The feast of the Immaculate Conception, celebrated on December 8, is often confused with the virginal conception of Jesus. In fact the feast refers to the conception of Mary within the womb of her mother.

The Immaculate Conception of Mary stems, as do all her prerogatives, from her being the mother of Jesus, who is God the Son Incarnate. The Church teaches that Mary was conceived free of original sin. Although baptism is the usual means of removing original sin, Mary was entirely free of this sin from the first moment of her existence. She was never under the dominion of Satan.

Mary's sinlessness in general was undisputed by the early Christian writers. St. Ambrose in the fourth century wrote, "Mary, a virgin not only undefiled but a virgin whom grace had made inviolate, free of every stain."

St. Augustine declared in the fifth century, "Having excepted the holy Virgin Mary, I wish to have absolutely no question when treating of sin."

St. Ephraem, in a fourth-century poem addressed to Christ, penned, "Thou and thy mother are alone in this: you are wholly beautiful in every respect. There is in thee, Lord, no stain, nor any spot in thy mother." In praise of Mary, he also wrote, "My lady most holy, all-pure, all-immaculate, all-stainless, all-undefiled, all-incorrupt, all-inviolate---spotless robe of him who clothes himself with light as with a garment... flower unfading, purple woven by God, alone most immaculate!"

Although agreeing that Mary was sinless in her behavior, the patristic writers (from the beginning of Christianity until the eighth century) were not unanimous in the belief that she was conceived without original sin.

In later centuries even the great St. Thomas Aquinas could not resolve this question to his satisfaction. It remained for John Duns Scotus, in the 14th century, to propose a "preservative redemption" rather than a "restorative redemption" for Mary.

The 19th ecumenical council, that of Trent (1545-63) prepared the way for a doctrinal declaration by stating in its decree on original sin that it had "no intention... to include the blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary, the mother of God. Rather, the constitutions of Sixtus of happy memory are to be observed." One hundred years earlier, Pope Sixtus IV had reproved those who denied the immaculate conception of Mary.

Three hundred years after Trent, the final step was taken. On Dec. 8, 1854, the Immaculate Conception was infallibly defined by Peter's successor, Blessed Pope Pius IX, in a decree entitled "Ineffabilis Deus."

Speaking ex cathedra, he announced in the presence of 200 cardinals, archbishops and bishops, "We, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the blessed apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own, declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the omnipotent God, in consideration of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore is to be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful."

Four years later, in private revelation to St. Bernadette at Lourdes, Our Blessed Lady identified herself as the "Immaculate Conception."

Blessed Pope Pius IX, in "Ineffabilis Deus," praises Mary with these beautiful words..."(God) filled her, far more than all the angelic spirits and all the saints, with an abundance of heavenly gifts from the treasury of his divinity, in such a wonderful manner that she would always be free from absolutely every stain of sin, and that, all beautiful and perfect, she might display such fullness of innocence and holiness that under God none greater is known, and which, God excepted, no one can attain even in thought."

Mary's sinlessness was recognized by others as well. England's poet laureate, William Wordsworth, paid her tribute in an ecclesiastical sonnet entitled The Virgin, acclaiming Mary to be "our tainted nature's solitary boast."

The liturgy for the feast of the Immaculate Conception contains beautiful supplications and praise of Mary. The opening prayer includes these words... "Father, help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin," and the alternate prayer exclaims, "Father... Mary had a faith that your Spirit prepared, and a love that never knew sin."

In the preface, we read, "Father... you allowed no stain of Adam's sin to touch the Virgin Mary. Full of grace, she was to be a worthy mother of your son, your sign of favor to the church at its beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the bride of Christ, radiant in beauty. Purest of virgins, she was to bring forth your son, the innocent lamb who takes away our sins. You chose her from all women to be our advocate with you, and our pattern of holiness..."

As Mary's spiritual children, let us rejoice with the Church on this beautiful feast of our Mother.

John Hammes is a parishioner at St. Joseph Church in Athens.