Immaculate Conception
one
In the Gospel for the Mass today the Archangel Gabriel greets Mary by a New Name
· He does not say, “Hail, Mary”, but rather, “Hail, full of grace.”
· The name the Angel gives Mary is “Full of Grace.”
St. JPII writes, “The expression “full of grace” serves almost as a name: it is Mary’s name in the eyes of God.” General Audience May 15.1996
This phrase “Full of grace” is the English translation of the Greek word Kecharitomene
Kecharitomene literally means God completely and perfectly filled Mary with the Holy Spirit and with His grace from the 1st moment of her existence which is just another way of saying - Mary is the Immaculate Conception.
In 1854 Pope Pius IX proclaimed the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Four years later on March 25, 1858 Mary came herself and confirmed this title. Mary appeared at Lourdes, but the young visionary, Bernadette did not know who the woman of the apparition was, and she most certainly had no prior knowledge of papal proclamations. Bernadette asked the Woman: What is your name?
· The Woman slipped her rosary over her right arm. She unfolded her hands and extended them toward the ground (signifying the graces she gives to the world through her intercession) then She then folded them at her breast, raised her eyes to heaven and said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”
two
St Maximilian Kolbe was captivated by the fact that at Lourdes, Mary stated her name in a unique way saying: I am the Immaculate Conception! For Kolbe, since these words came out of the mouth of Mary, they must indicate accurately who she is. This left Kolbe with a burning Question: Who are you, O Immaculate Conception? This question led Kolbe to one of the greatest insights about Mary which he dictated to Br. Arnold in his office on the morning of February 17, 1941; around noon St. Maximilian was arrested by the Gestapo and ultimately taken to Auschwitz where he gave his life for another man.
Kolbe begin his insight to Mary by first reflecting on the Trinity.
Who is the Father? What is his essence? Because He begets the Son from eternity…the Father’s essential attribute is begetting.
Who is the Son? He is the begotten One; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.
And who is the Spirit? He is the fruit of the love between the Father and the Son. Now, the fruit of created love is a created conception. Therefore, the fruit of divine love, the prototype of all love, is the first conception. The Holy Spirit is, therefore, the Divine Uncreated Immaculate Conception.
three
From the first moment of her existence, Mary was perfectly filled and transformed by the Holy Spirit.
Kolbe says:
It is the union of her being with the being of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in her from the first instance of her existence, and he will reside within her eternally. What does this life of the Holy Spirit in her consist? The Spirit is love in her, the love of the Father and the Son, the entire love of the Most Holy Trinity, a fruitful love, a conception.
The Holy Spirit’s union with Mary represents the total love of the Holy Trinity, while Mary’s love represents the entire love of creation. Thus is created the union of heaven and earth, Uncreated Love with created love; it is the highest expression of love.
At Lourdes, Mary did not define herself as “Conceived without sin,” but, as St. Bernadette related…She said in a voice in which you could notice a slight tremor…I am the Immaculate Conception.” If, among humans, a bride takes the name of her husband by the fact that she belongs to him, unites herself to him, is made similar to him and, together with him engenders new life, how much more should the name of the Holy Spirit, the Uncreated Immaculate Conception, be the name of Mary with whom the Spirit is united in supernatural love.
four
Mary is the Immaculate Conception because the Holy Spirit who is the Uncreated Immaculate Conception, filled her with himself from the first moment of her existence and that is the reality we celebrate today, December 8.
I’ve had the privilege of talking, praying and working with Fr. Gregorz Bartosik, the greatest living Kolbe scholar in the very room where Kolbe dictated his teaching on the Immaculate Conception. I asked Fr. Gregorz to explain Kolbe’s insights in the most simple terms.
Fr. Gregorz Bartosik responded:
According to Kolbe,
Mary and the Holy Spirit are two separate persons,
but their union is so close, that
though Kolbe called Mary the “Spouse of the Spirit”
it was not adequate.
In fact, Kolbe preferred to call Mary
the “Quasi-Incarnation” of the Holy Spirit.
Kolbe said the Son became manifest in Jesus
and the Holy Spirit became manifest in Mary.
That is when I said to Fr Bartosik, What would Kolbe think of this:
· If the Holy Spirit is the Uncreated Immaculate Conception and Mary is the created Immaculate Conception, then Mary is the visible sign that makes the mission of the Spirit present and effective to form Christ in Christians
· Mary is the Perfect Human Expression of the Spirit
· Mary is the Sacrament of the Holy Spirit
Bartosik became excited, sprung forward in his seat and said – that is exactly how Kolbe understood it.
five
Mary is the sacrament of the Holy Spirit
The Catechism 1131 defines a sacrament as having Three essential parts
1. Sacraments are Efficacious signs
2. Instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church
3. By which divine life is dispensed to us.”
Mary is an efficacious sign of the Holy Spirit
· Mary is the perfect human expression of the maternal and educational mission of the Spirit to conceive and form Jesus in us
· Mary is also a sign that makes the maternal mission of the Spirit effective;
· The presence of Mary makes the mission of the Spirit happen - to form Jesus in us
When we consecrate ourselves to Mary or turn to her in prayer, as we do in the Rosary, the mission of the Holy Spirit to bring Jesus to us and form him within us is made present and effective.
Mary’s presence makes the mission of the Spirit present
John Paul II: Rosarium Virginis Mariae
“The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary’s side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is fully formed in us (cf. Gal 4:19).” RVM 15