Cardinal Tobin:
Mary’s path follows that of Jesus
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Vol. 7. No. 8
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Each year during Advent, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was infallibly proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854—nearly 1,900 years after the birth of the humble woman from Nazareth, who is the only person ever to receive this uniquely important gift from God. (See selection from the Catechism of the Catholic Church below.)
Catholics believe that, from the moment of her conception, God blessed Mary with His gift of redeeming grace. Although she was a descendant of Adam and Eve, and therefore part of our sinful human race, God’s mercy kept her from the sinful tendencies that affect every human being and from all personal sin.
Mary was free from sin from her conception because she was chosen to give birth to God’s only Son, the new Adam, who represents a radical break from humanity’s guilt-ridden past. In Mary, we see the fulfillment of our redemption. She was not born without sin because of her own merits, but because God chose her to bear His Word made flesh.
Mary was the first person to be redeemed by Christ. This singular act of mercy came before she accepted the vocation that God intended for her. Mary’s immaculate conception made her a perfect steward of God’s gift of self. In her womb, the one who was destined to be our redeemer was nurtured and formed by God’s grace.
Divine Mercy does not minimize the gravity of sin. Instead, it recognizes the weakness of our human condition and allows for the possibility that we, sinful human beings, can—with the help of God’s grace—overcome even our most grievous sins and return to our rightful places in the one family of God.
Mary was granted this merciful redemption in advance and therefore was strengthened by God’s grace in the face of every temptation. As a result, she was able to make the right choices in her daily life. Mary is, therefore, the supreme example of redeemed humanity. She is what each of us is called to be: holy, sinless, and ready to follow Jesus—with the help of God’s grace.
It’s tempting to say that Mary had an unfair advantage over the rest of us. She was born without sin, while you and I only have our weakened human nature. But Mary’s life shows that she struggled mightily to accept situations she couldn’t possibly understand. The old man Simeon predicted that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart. She needed the help of God’s grace—as we do—to handle life’s most challenging moments and to say “yes” to God’s will, even when it seemed to promise only pain and sorrow.
As Pope Leo XIV observes in his homily for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality (see selection below), “Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded and sinners. Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness, His way of being a mother, to light in the Church. Mary knew that the journey she was called to undertake would include much sorrow, but she also believed with all her heart that God’s justice and mercy would lead ultimately to everlasting joy.
Mary was the first Christian, the first disciple of her son. Throughout her life, God’s mercy guided her, and as her love grew, she was able to reach out to others—especially the weak and fearful disciples who struggled to follow their Lord despite grave obstacles. The power of God’s grace allowed Mary to become what she has been throughout Christian history, a source of comfort, encouragement and strength for all who seek to avoid sin and live holy and blameless lives.
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is truly an Advent feast. It reminds us that Mary, our mother, is ready to help us prepare for the coming of her Son. She is a clear and consistent advocate for the redeeming mercy of God, urging us to turn to her son for forgiveness of past sins and hope for a better life.
In her joyful exuberance, the Church assigns to Mary many exalted titles, such as the Immaculate Conception, and all of these speak to some aspect of her singular place in the history of salvation. But we should never forget that this simple woman accomplished greatness with humility through her faith-filled acceptance of God’s will, and her willingness to allow God’s grace to sustain her in the face of every obstacle.
Immaculate Mary, pray for us sinners. Show us the way to your son, Jesus. Amen.
Sincerely yours in Christ the Redeemer,
Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Archbishop of Newark
Catechism of the Catholic Church
PART ONE
THE PROFESSION OF FAITH
SECTION TWO
THE PROFESSION OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITH
CHAPTER TWO
I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, THE ONLY SON OF GOD
ARTICLE 3
“HE WAS CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY”
Paragraph 2. “Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Born of the Virgin Mary”
I. CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. . .
The Immaculate Conception
490 To become the mother of the Savior, Mary “was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.”132 The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as “full of grace”.133 In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace.
491 Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God,134 was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.135
492 The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son”.136 The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love”.137
493 The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia), and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature”.138 By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. “Let it be done to me according to your word. . .”
Source: vatican.va/content/catechism
A Message from Pope Leo XIV:
In the one Christ we are one
Brothers and sisters, Marian spirituality is at the service of the Gospel: it reveals its simplicity. Our affection for Mary of Nazareth leads us to join her in becoming disciples of Jesus. It teaches us to return to him and to meditate and ponder the events of our lives in which the Risen One still comes to us and calls us. Marian spirituality immerses us in the history upon which heaven opened. It helps us to see the proud being scattered in their conceit, the mighty being cast down from their thrones and the rich being sent away empty-handed. It impels us to fill the hungry with good things, to lift up the lowly, to remember God’s mercy and to trust in the power of his arm (cf. Lk 1:51-54). Jesus invites us to be part of his Kingdom, just as he asked Mary for her “yes,” which, once given, was renewed every day.
The lepers in the Gospel who do not return to give thanks remind us that God’s grace can touch us and find no response. It can heal us, yet we can still fail to accept it. Let us take care therefore not to go up to the temple in such a way that does not lead us to follow Jesus. Some forms of worship do not foster communion with others and can numb our hearts. In these cases, we fail to encounter the people God has placed in our lives. We fail to contribute, as Mary did, to changing the world, and to share in the joy of the Magnificat. Let us take care to avoid any exploitation of the faith that could lead to labelling those who are different — often the poor — as enemies, “lepers” to be avoided and rejected.
Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, which leads us to encounter every human being, especially the poor, the wounded and sinners. Because of this, authentic Marian spirituality brings God’s tenderness, his way of “being a mother,” to light in the Church. As we read in the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, “whenever we look to Mary, we come to believe once again in the revolutionary nature of love and tenderness. In her, we see that humility and tenderness are not virtues of the weak but of the strong who need not treat others poorly in order to feel important themselves. Contemplating Mary, we realize that she who praised God for ‘bringing down the mighty from their thrones’ and ‘sending the rich away empty’ (Lk 1:52-53) is also the one who brings a homely warmth to our pursuit of justice” (no. 288).
Source: vatican.va/content/leo-xiv
My Prayer for You
Please join me in this prayer to Mary Immaculate:
Immaculate Mary, your freedom from the curse of selfishness and sin shows us who we are intended to be—people in perfect communion with God and with all our sisters and brothers in Christ. Pray for us, Holy Mother of God, that we may be worthy of our baptismal calling.
Amen