Download the Immaculate Conception picture here. (It's in landscape format, by the way, so make sure your printing option is set for it!)
Some folks erroneously believe that Catholics think that the Immaculate Conception is the feast day of Jesus's conception. As if we don't know that a baby is in the womb for 40 weeks. Hee! No, no, my dears, the feast day is in celebration of Mary's Immaculate Conception.
The idea is that "The Immaculate Conception means that Mary, whose conception was brought about the normal way, was conceived without original sin or its stain—that’s what 'immaculate' means: without stain" (Catholic Answers tract).
The tract explains it better, but let me make a few quick points that I've shared in RCIA talks:
- The fact that Mary was conceived without sin does not mean that Mary did not need a savior. She most definitely did! Fulton Sheen writes about Mary's being saved in this way: Imagine that there's a road beside a ditch. Everyone who walks along the path ends up in in the grimy ditch, and Jesus needs to pull them out of it. Now, along comes Mary, who is about to tumble into the ditch. Jesus saves her from falling into the ditch, so she remains clean and pure. However, she still needed to be saved by Him, or else she would've been dirtied, too.
- "But how? If Jesus wasn't born yet!" Jesus did exist, however. Jesus always existed. Don't forget that he existed before the Incarnation. Also, God sees all of time; He is not limited by it.
- People have asked, "Why would God bother?" It makes sense, though, doesn't it? If you were going to be born into the world, would you not start by clearing up a place in it? God began by guiding the Jewish people out of the polytheism around them and towards monotheism, then giving them prophets to let them know of the Messiah. Slowly, throughout time, God prepared a place. And He chose to have Mary as His mother and prepared her by making her immaculate and pure for the Christ Child.
5 comments:
Thank you, thank you! A coloring page that actually is about the proper conception and not the gospel of the day, which just confuses just whose conception we are celebrating!
Cynthia,
You are very welcome! And it can be confusing. One of the best things I ever did in my life was to attend RCIA classes with my husband (a convert to Catholicism). It was like a spiritual transfusion, giving me energy and focus ... and explaining some of the oft-muddled teachings. ;)
Peace and blessings!
Hello Vee.. I got the link to your place from Nicole over at Just Like Mary. What a lovely colouring page! I like your explanation of the Immaculate Conception too. Mine was a bit more complicated I guess.
Cynthia is right...the bible doesn't talk much about Mary's parents or her birth so the readings really don't have anything to do with this feast day.
My poor husband had to do a Eucharistic Service because we had no priest and he was stumped on what to say. I think he did alright though... he talked about the importance of Mary and her example by saying yes to the will of God.
Thank you for sharing and so nice to meet you.
God bless.
Lisa Marie,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
No, much of what we learned from Mary's childhood is tradition, but we can glean a lot from the little that we do know, I think. For example, we know that St. Joachim and St. Anne must have been exceptional people to have God choose them to raise Mary!
And it sounds like your husband was in quite the awkward spot. I had a few times like that in RCIA when I had to fill in at the last moment. You just end up praying that all the reading, the praying and thinking that you've been doing can somehow be formed by the Holy Spirit into something good to share. Or at least, in some cases, I've just prayed not to get in the way!
It's lovely to meet you, Lisa Maria.
This is adorable! Will be doing this with my little ones today before mass :) Thank you!
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