THE MOTHER’S HEART
OUR LADY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

By Brother Patrick

In the Letter to the Romans, Saint Paul writes: “Sin entered the world through one man, and through sin death, and thus death has spread through the whole human race because everyone has sinned…As one man’s fall brought condemnation on everyone, so the good act of one man brings everyone life and makes them justified. As by one man’s disobedience, many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience, many will be made righteous…And so, just as sin reigned wherever there was death, so grace will reign to bring eternal life thanks to the righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, our Lord (Romans 5:12; 18-19; 21).”

Standing between the sin of Adam and the grace of the Poor and Risen Christ is the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Put simply, Mary is the exception to the rule.

The People of God rightly believed early on that the pandemic of sin spreads to every people in every place. But it does not infect the Mother’s Heart. Mary is immaculate. She is conceived without sin. She is conceived without any stain on her heart. Unlike us, Mary is clean, pure, and innocent. Unlike us, captives to sin and death, Mary is free, faultless, and unfettered by the chains of corruption and sinfulness.

In the seventh century, a feast emerges in the Eastern Church that celebrates Mary’s immaculate conception. In the eighth century, the feast comes to the Roman Catholic Church. In the eleventh century, the feast is given a name. In the eighteenth century, the feast becomes universal. It is now a solemnity: a holy day of obligation, a day of highest importance, a day that commemorates a significant moment in salvation history. In 1854, Pope Pius IV declares: “The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.”

It is crucial to remember that it is God’s faithful people, not popes, priests, or theologians, who first and truly believe in Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. It is God’s faithful people, not popes, priests, or theologians, who first and widely share the devotion to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.

Saint John Paul II reminds us that this devotion is rooted in the scriptures, in the Annunciation, in God’s call to Mary, and in Mary’s heartfelt and emphatic ‘yes’ to God’s plan for her and her child. The pope says: “Mary was pleasing to God because of her docile humility. To the heavenly messenger, she replies, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord, let it be done to me according to your word (Luke 1:38).’ It is with the same interior disposition that believers are called to accept God’s will in every circumstance.”

Pope Francis build on this instruction. He tells us that what God offers to Mary he also offers to us. Faith. Hope. Love. Courage. Goodness. Mercy. Holiness. Perseverance. Righteousness. We must only say ‘yes.’ The Holy Father advises us: “The Lord knocks on our door. He knocks on our hearts to enter into friendship with us, in communion, to give us salvation. And this, for us, is the path for becoming ‘holy and immaculate.’ The uncontaminated beauty of our Mother is incomparable, but at the same time, it attracts us. Let us entrust ourselves to her, say ‘no’ to sin, and ‘yes’ to grace once and for all (12-8-20).”

In this spirit and inspired by words written by Pope Francis, we pray for our friends, families, and neighbors. We pray for those we love and for those we do not love enough. We pray for peace, unity, and fraternity between all peoples everywhere. And we pray for our divided country, our wounded church, and our suffering world:

A Prayer of Pope Francis

O Mary, Immaculate Mother,
we come to you and we come not alone.

We bring with us all those
whom your Son has entrusted to us,
in this place and in the entire world,
so that you may bless them
and preserve them from harm.

O Mary, Immaculate Mother,
we bring to you all children,
especially those who are alone,
abandoned, and exploited.

We bring to you all families
who carry forward life and society
with their daily and often hidden good works.
In a special way, we bring families who struggle
because of internal and external challenges.

O Mary, Immaculate Mother,
we bring to you all workers,
both men and women.

We entrust to you those workers,
who because of need,
are forced to work in unworthy professions,
along with those who have lost their work
and are unable to find it again.

We are all in need of your immaculate gaze:

To rediscover the ability
to look upon persons and things
with respect and awareness,
without ego or hypocrisy.

We are all in need of your immaculate heart:

To love freely, without ulterior motives,
by seeking only the good of others,
with simplicity and sincerity,
by renouncing all tricks and disguises.

We are all in need of your immaculate hands:

To embrace each other with tenderness;
to touch the flesh of Jesus
in our poor, sick, or despised brothers and sisters;
to raise up those who have fallen,
to support those who waver.

We are all in need of your immaculate feet:

To go toward those who do not know how
to take the first step,
to walk on the path of those who are lost,
to find those who feel forgotten.

O Mary, Immaculate Mother,
we thank you,
because by showing yourself to us,
you free us from the stain of sin.

You remind us
that what comes first is God’s grace,
the love of Christ, who gave his life for us,
and the strength of the Holy Spirit
who renews all things.

Let us never surrender to discouragement,
but by trusting in your constant prayers,
help us to engage more fully
in renewal of self,
in renewal of our community,
in renewal of the entire world.

Pray for us, Holy Mother of God!

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us! Saint Clare of Assisi, pray for us! Our Lady of the Angels, pray for us! Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, pray for us!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brother Patrick Garvey is co-founder and spiritual director of the Assisi Project. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Maine, Saint John Seminary, and the Catholic University of America. He is a writer, spiritual director, retreat leader, and university lecturer. He also serves as an Associate Minister in the Catholic Community of Gloucester & Rockport in Massachusetts. On October 3, 2023, the Feast of the Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi, Brother Patrick was consecrated as a diocesan hermit by Bishop Mark O’Connell, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Boston. For more information about the Assisi Project and our ministries with adults of all ages and backgrounds, please contact Brother Patrick at brpatrick@assisiproject.com.

Art Credit: Germanopoli – 81884720 – Dreamstime

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ABOUT US

Founded in 2007, the Assisi Project is a Fellowship of Franciscans in Spirit with friends and followers throughout the world. We are dedicated to helping Christian believers of all ages more faithfully live the Gospel of Christ in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. The Assisi Project is a non-profit, tax exempt charitable organization. Please support our ministry via Pay Pal (see link below) or mail a tax-deductible donation to the Assisi Project, Post Office Box 3158, Gloucester, Massachusetts 01931-3158. The Assisi Project Podcast is produced by the Assisi Project, Inc. Copyright 2024. All rights reserved. May the Lord give you peace!

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In Memory of Deacon Raymond Wellbank