The Immaculate Conception of Mary, as its name indicates, remembers that Mary was free from all sin, Original and personal, from the moment of her conception. Please note that, contrary to some thinking, this is not referring to anything like the immaculate conception of Jesus; if such an event is to be commemorated, that would be the Annunciation on March 25th.
Pope Francis put it so very well in his December 8, 2015 Angelus that it bears repeating: through the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, we "contemplate Our Lady who, by unique privilege, was preserved from original sin from the very moment of her conception. Even living in a world marked by sin, she was not touched by it: Mary is our sister in suffering, but not in evil or in sin. Instead, evil was conquered in her even before deflowering her, because God had filled her with grace (cf. Lk 1:28). The Immaculate Conception signifies that Mary is the first one to be saved by the infinite mercy of the Father, which is the first fruit of salvation which God wills to give to every man and woman, in Christ. For this reason, the Immaculate One has become the sublime icon of the divine mercy which conquered sin ... In the Immaculate Conception of Mary, we are invited to recognize the dawn of the new world, transformed by the salvific work of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The dawn of the new creation brought about by divine mercy. For this reason, the Virgin Mary, never infected by sin and always full of God, is the mother of a new humanity. She is the mother of the recreated world...the Feast of the Immaculate Conception has a specific message for us: it reminds us that in our life everything is a gift, it is all mercy."
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas is an apparition of the Blessed Mother that has a most remarkable history. Widely celebrated in Mexico, others might not know that history and its importance to us here in the Americas.
The country of Mexico in 1531 was a land of conflict and struggle, with the Spanish Conquistadors threatening to annihilate the native Indian population. In December of that year, a native named Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk to daily Mass in what is now Mexico City. As he passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. He spotted a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. The woman said she was the Virgin Mary and told Juan, “I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother…to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings.” The apparitions occurred over the course of three days, from December 9th to the 12th.
It is truly an example of God’s wisdom that the apparition occurred when it did and to whom it did. By incorporating elements of both native beliefs and Catholic theology, the natives were slowly able to adopt the Catholic faith, first by interpreting the vision with their own pagan views but remaining outwardly compatible with the compulsory teaching of the Conquistadors, later by embracing it as their own by the authority of the native (now Saint) Juan Diego’s preaching among his people. It is impossible to say how much bloodshed had been averted by allowing this gradual and subtle transition to take place.
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe rightly deserves her place as the pinnacle of Catholic veneration in the Americas and we can learn from her example. By recognizing and respecting our similarities before our differences, we can heal the divisions that wound our relationships in families, businesses, towns and ideologies. In this way, we can truly begin to work towards the Kingdom of Peace that Christ promises us.
May our Lady, immaculately conceived and patroness of the Americas, pray for us!