Here's some more Latin for you!
This past Monday was the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holiday where the Church recognizes that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born without the stain of original sin. I have to say it is my favorite Mary holiday, but then I might be a little bit biased. The church I was raised in is called Immaculate Conception, and that holiday is of course always a big deal over there.
A lot of people, mostly non-Catholics, are confused about the term "immaculate conception." I can admit that as a child I was also confused, but I have seen the light! Many people still believe (incorrectly) that the Immaculate Conception is the belief that Jesus was born to a virgin. That belief is in fact called the "virgin birth," which is also a dogma of the Church. So, the phrase "it must have been an immaculate conception" that is thrown around regarding unexpected pregnancies is totally false.
The Church proclaimed the Immaculate Conception as dogma in 1854, though this was definitely not the first time people believed in this. (Consequently, the first Catholic church in Knoxville came about just a few years later. Guess what it was called???) Until that time, people could believe what they wanted regarding the IC, only in 1854 it was established as a universal truth within the Church. To paraphrase something I have read, at this time the Church decided that in order for Mary to become the Mother of God, she had to be free from sin from the very moment of her own conception. This is not merely something that the Church came up with, but something that had been passed down for centuries through Tradition. Not to mention the allusions to this very fact that are found in Scripture. (Sorry that I don't have specific Scriptures to quote, for all you scholars out there. But believe me, they do exist!)
I have always felt a special devotion to the Blessed Mother in my own life. Don't get me wrong; I know very well that nothing can replace the worship and honor given to God the Father and God the Son (Jesus) and God the Holy Spirit. The Church clearly distinguishes honor given to God and honor given to Mary and the saints. To briefly go over this, there are three Latin terms for honor in the Church: latria, which is defined as worship (God only); dulia, which is honor for the saints; and hyperdulia, which is honor for Mary. As you can see, Mary is given the hyper- prefix, meaning she is given the greatest honor out of all the saints. God is still the only One that can be worshipped.
Back to my own life, since grade school I have felt a special connection to Mary. Perhaps this was due to the devotion a certain teacher of mine had for Mary. My fifth grade teacher was Sister Jolita (yes, a real religious sister), so of course her life was dedicated to God and living a life devoted to our Blessed Mother. To only further my own faith, my high school principal, Dr. Montgomery, had a very special devotion to Mary as well. Though she was not a member of the religious life, she often prayed for Mary's intercession in school events or world events, and that was always a comfort to me. Isn't it great to have a comforting motherly figure watching out for you? That is perhaps the greatest reason for a devotion to Mary. Now granted that God is both Father and Mother of us all, but putting a real live person as a mediator between us and God is always a good thing!
At any rate, that's really all I wanted to say about this subject. Oh wait, I didn't mention the meaning of the title! This line is taken from Luke 1:46 (yesss! Scripture citation!) from the Canticle of Mary commonly known as the Magnificat: "My soul proclaims the greatest of the Lord." Magnificat anima mea Dominum literally means "my soul magnifies the Lord." So there you have it! Your Latin and ecclesiastical lesson for the day!
Mary, Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, pray for us...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
This piece effectively took me back to St Gabriel's School where I had learned it all. Unlike you, I cannot remember the exact Nuns that imparted this information, but I am grateful that they did.
I must admit that there is one side of me that is repelled by how it is presented. In a sense it all seems so childish, yet it is all the truth. Perhaps it is necessary to have that view as a base in order to live ones life in the secular world. Life's experiences are affirming, yet, contridictory to that whole message. There is evil in our lives and it usually comes from the failure to have a good Christain base. It is a pity that some have never been exposed, sorrier still for those who recieved but have misunderstood.
One more thought: the Imaculate Conception is such a ridiculus doctrine for intellectuals because it seems like a fairy tale or magic. It seems made up, as if somebody merely had a dream and proclaimed it as important. We, like little children, do indeed believe it.
I believe that you skipped the most important part of your post. You did not provide scripture to back up your claim of Mary's immaculate conception. To state "believe me" is not enough. I would rather believe God's word. Can you provide the passages that you are refering to?
Post a Comment