Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated this Monday, December 8. The mystery commemorated is that Mary, from the moment she was conceived, was preserved from original sin. The original sin, of course, is the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. Through that fall, all of humanity and indeed the whole world, is in a fallen state. But from the moment of the fall, we will see an emerging movement in the Scriptures by which God sets in motion a plan to save His fallen creation. That saving work will not simply erase the past, but rather will intimately involve those who are fallen, drawing them back into relationship with God. All of us, born into this fallen world, had original sin until the day of our baptism. The sacrament of baptism wipes out original sin and opens us up to the life of grace and to the communication of that grace that comes through the sacraments of the Church.
Quick tangent: Baptism is essential and should be given to children as soon as possible. We should not delay baptism unnecessarily. When a family is preparing to welcome a child into the world, they can plan for the baptism even before the child is born! This way, everyone who ought to be invited to celebrate can arrange their calendars months in advance. But even if certain people who we’d like to have present for baptism can’t be there for some reason, the baptism should still go forward. Even if godparents cannot be present, others can stand in their place as proxies. The child being baptized must always be the priority. Please don’t worry about grandparents, or extended family members. The baby needs God’s grace more than any one person needs to see the baptism happen. Try to schedule baptism within the first three months of the due date. If, God forbid, the newborn requires hospitalization, call the priest to the hospital to baptize there! Please never delay baptism for your newborn baby! End tangent.
The final part of God’s plan for the salvation of His fallen creation begins with the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is never subject to original sin and thus is a perfect, sinless person. Because she does not have the obstacle of sin in her life, Mary is always in relationship with God, Mary is always inclined to the will of God, and Mary is always open to God’s plan. Through the sinless Mary, God who is perfect in all things, takes on a perfect humanity in her womb. It is the birth in the flesh and in time of the Incarnate Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus Christ, which we look forward to in this holy season of Advent. And it is Mary’s Immaculate Conception that makes it possible for us to celebrate this movement of God’s grace in our history.
As this mystery is of such great importance, it is a Holy Day of Obligation. That is, the Church recognizes the fact that Mary is conceived without sin to be of such import that the right and just response of the faithful is to worship God at Mass to commemorate the mystery. Please go to Mass on Monday to celebrate this day. Here at St. Pius X, Mass will be celebrated at 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM. Additionally, every Monday evening at 7 PM a Traditional Latin Mass according to the 1962 Missal is celebrated in the Chapel. That Mass also satisfies the obligation, and you are most welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend Mass here at St. Pius X, please visit one of our neighboring parishes here in Fairfield, or in the town where you work. When we remember these important days and make them holy by attending Mass, we allow God to draw us more deeply into the mystery of His love for us and to understand more perfectly His plan and desire for our salvation.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!
Fr. Sam
