Holy Day: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX issued Ineffabilis Deus, which set forth the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance 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, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.

Hence, if anyone shall dare -- which God forbid! -- to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should are to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart. Ineffabilis Deus.

An-in-depth treatment of the doctrine and its history may be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Immaculate Conception.

There is little information in the Gospels about Mary prior to the Annunciation (when the angel Gabriel first speaks with Mary), which is undoubtedly why the passage from Luke had to be used today. Most information about Mary before the passage from Luke is found in or taken from the Protoevangelium of James.  Written in approximately 150AD, it appears to be the earliest work referencing the conception, birth and pre-Annunciation life of Mary. Given that it is a non-canonical work, it obviously could not be read during Mass.

However, that doesn’t mean that the work must be shunned or ignored. As noted by the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gospels themselves are silent about long stretches of the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They often give but a tantalizing glimpse of some episode which many of us wish would be explained in more detail. Early Christians were no different, and the need for more detail was soon quenched by a deluge of “pretend Gospels full of romantic fables and fantastic and striking details, their fabrications were eagerly read and largely accepted as true by common folk who were devoid of any critical faculty and who were predisposed to believe what so luxuriously fed their pious curiosity.” Thus, the information set forth in the Protoevangelium of James should not be considered…gospel.

The story of Mary begins with her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne (derivative of Hannah.) Joachim was extremely wealthy and, being a extremely pious man, brought twice the required amount of offering to the temple. He was denied the opportunity to be the first to bring his offerings to God, however, as he had not sired any children. Troubled, he retreated alone to the desert for a forty-day fast and prayer. Meanwhile, his wife Anna herself was mourning the lack of a child and was praying earnestly herself to God. Their prayers were heard by God and angels were sent to inform them that Anna would conceive a child that would be spoken of in all the world. Anna replied that regardless of whether the child was a male or a female, it would be pledged to God. Nine months later, Mary was born.

Because of her pledge, Anna kept Mary close to her and ensured that she remained in conformity with the strict dietary rules of Judaism and received the blessings of the priests and scribes. When Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anna brought Mary to the temple of the Lord where she took up residence, living there with the priests and scribes until she reached the age of twelve. At that time, a council of the priests was held to figure out what to do with Mary since she could no longer dwell in the temple of the Lord. A decision was made to have the high priest, Zacharias, pray at the alter of the Lord for guidance as to what to do. Zacharias would later become the father of John the Baptist.

While praying, Zacharias was visited by an angel who told him to invite all the widowers of the people of God and have then convene in assembly so that a sign could be given. All of the widowed men from Judea arrived at the temple and each gave his wooden walking stick to Zacharias, who brought them into the temple. When Zacharias returned the walking sticks to their owners, a dove flew out and landed on Joseph’s head. Zacharias told Joseph that he had been chosen to take Mary into his keeping, but Joseph refused because he already had children, he was an old man and she was a young girl. After Zacharias reminded Joseph of what happened to those that refused to do the will of God, Joseph relented and brought Mary into his household to live while he departed to undertake some carpentry.

The time came for the making of a veil for the temple of the Lord and a call went out for all the undefiled virgins of the family of David. By this time, Zacharias had been rendered mute by his disbelief that his wife, Elizabeth, would conceive a child in her advanced age, and Samuel had taken over as the high priest. Seven virgins were found and then Samuel remembered that Mary was of the family of David as well, so she was summoned. Mary was chosen by lot to spin the true purple and scarlet parts of the temple veil.  She was sixteen at this time.

It was during this work that Mary was visited by the angel as set forth in Luke as set forth in today's reading.  After issuing her fiat, Mary completed her weaving of the purple and the scarlet and took them to the temple, where she received a blessing from the priest. She then went to visit her kinswoman, Elizabeth, where she remained for three months before returning home. Joseph was not there as he was elsewhere building as was his occupation.

Joseph returned when Mary was six months pregnant and was shocked and horrified at what he found. He blamed himself for not keeping a better watch over her and allowing her to be defiled. He questioned Mary as to how she, raised in the temple and pledged to God, could have forgotten her love of God and been defiled. In tears, Mary claimed her innocence and stated that she was still a virgin. Joseph, troubled, wrestled with what to do. If he did nothing, then he was concealing her sin and acting against the law of the Lord. But if he said something, and he was wrong, her innocent blood would be upon him. After deciding that he would send her away quietly, Joseph went to sleep and was visited by an angel who explained that Mary was telling the truth and was in God’s grace. Upon waking, Joseph gave glory to God and told Mary he believed her.

Later that day, Annas the scribe came to Joseph’s home and inquired as to why Joseph had not come to the assembly the day of his arrival as was the custom. Joseph tried to explain that he was tired from his journey and needed rest but Annas caught sight of the pregnant Mary and quickly ran off to tell the high priest that Joseph had committed a grievous crime by defiling Mary and marrying her in stealth. Officers were sent and Joseph and Mary were brought before the tribunal. The priest chastised a weeping Mary for her infidelity to God, particularly in light of her residing at the temple for so long. Once again, Mary insisted that she was still pure and was not defiled. The high priest turned to Joseph, challenging him to speak the truth and confess what he had done to Mary. Joseph refused, and the high priest gave both Joseph and Mary a test of the water of the ordeal of the Lord which they passed.

Shortly thereafter, the order was issued by the Emperor Augustus that all should return to their home villages to be counted. As Joseph and his two sons prepared for the trip, Joseph debated as to what to do with Mary, whether he should claim Mary as his wife or as his daughter? Joseph, the boys and Mary began their trip to Bethleham, arriving just as Mary was about to give birth.