On December eight the Catholic Church commemorated the Immaculate Conception of Mary, blessed mother of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This dogma, defined by Pope Pius IX, is the belief that Mary was free from the stain of original sin from the moment she was conceived.
Though not a Catholic, I was very aware of the term Immaculate Conception, and for years I believed that the Immaculate Conception referred to the way in which Jesus Christ was conceived. Imagine my surprise the day I learnt that this was a celebration of Mary’s preservation from Adam’s sin, to which we are all subjected, and not the impregnation of Mary by the Holy Spirit, which was both immaculate and miraculous.
The miraculous conception is something that we should all be
celebrating, both Catholic and non-Catholic alike. For all Christians ought to
believe that it was indeed a young innocent virgin named Mary who was
hand-picked by God Himself to bring His one and only beloved Son into this
world to save us all. So why not celebrate?
All who confess that they belong to the Lord should remain
mindful of this absolutely wonderful event. An event, which brought to us the
incredible gift of salvation!
As we prepare to celebrate the glorious birth of our Lord
Jesus Christ on December twenty-fifth, let us not forget to also prepare our
hearts, as we remember, commemorate, and celebrate the blessing that was
bestowed on the Virgin Mary, who, though confused by the message she had
received, still accepted that message with grace and privilege saying,
“I belong to the Lord, body
and soul, let it happen as you say.”
(Luke 1:38 –
Phillips)
Shelley Johnson “The Miraculous Conception” © 2025, December
22, 2025
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