Weekly Thoughts

FATHER MICHAEL’S DIARY

6 DECEMBER 2024

THE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

There will be great celebrations in Paris this weekend to mark the reopening of the Cathedral of Notre Dame following extensive damage by fire in April 2019.The significance of the date is that it coincides with the Roman Catholic Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of The Blessed Virgin Mary. This normally falls on 8 December but because this year that is the Second Sunday of Advent it is transferred to the following day.

For Roman Catholics the Immaculate Conception is one of the four dogmas concerning Mary which form the basis of Roman Catholic devotion to our Lady. In 431 the Council of Ephesus gave to Mary the title of theotokos (Mother of God) and the other dogmas were developed from this over the succeeding centuries, although the Immaculate Conception was not formally defined as a dogma until 1854. The dogma affirms that, by miraculously attributing to Mary the benefits our Lord’s victory over sin and death, she was freed from the taint of original sin from the moment of her conception. This dogma has never been accepted by any other Christian body and is rejected by some. 

Where does that leave the Church of England and the Anglican Communion generally? The Conception is in our calendar but as a lesser festival and without a collect of its own. Some places, like Walsingham go along with the Roman position while others reject it altogether. Naturally it formed part of the discussions of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission (ARCIC) which concluded: “As a result of our study, the Commission offers the following agreements, which we believe significantly advance our consensus regarding Mary. We affirm together… that in view of her vocation to be the Mother of the Holy One, Christ’s redeeming work reached “back” in Mary to the depths of her being and to her earliest beginnings.” Make of that what you will.

However the conception of Mary is important for another reason: it marks a crucial stage in God’s redeeming work. The redemption of creation was going to involve incarnation as the fallenness of creation could only be remedied from within and the only way to enter creation as a human being was to be born of a human mother. So the Son of God had to have a human mother. Hence God chose Mary for this hugely important role, a role she would need to be strengthened to undertake.  How was that to be? I’ll leave the last word to a verse from that well known hymn “Ye who own the faith of Jesus”

Blessèd were the chosen people
out of whom the Lord did come,
blessèd was the land of promise
fashioned for his earthly home;
but more blessèd far the Mother
she who bare him in her womb.
Hail Mary, full of grace.

READINGS AND PRAYERS

8 DECEMBER – SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – Luke 3.1-6 – prepare the way of the Lord - that God may make us ready for the second coming of Christ 

9 DECEMBER - CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY – Luke 1.36-48 – the annunciation – thanksgiving for the Blessed Virgin Mary

10 DECEMBER – Tuesday – Isiah 40.1-11 – comfort my people – that God will comfort his people, especially those facing adversity

11 DECEMBER – Wednesday – Isiah 40.25-end – those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength – the God will strengthen us as we face the challenges of our time

12 DECEMBER – Thursday – Isaiah 41.13-20 – I the Lord will answer them – that God will answer our prayers

13 DECEMBER – Lucy, martyr at Syracuse, 304 – 2 Corinthians 4.6-15 – let light shine out of darkness – that we may shine as lights in the darkness of this world

14 DECEMBER – John of the Cross, Poet, Teacher of the Faith,1591 – Song of Songs 2.8-end – the voice of my beloved – for greater love of God