Let the Immaculate Conception Help You Prepare

“O most pure Virgin Mary conceived without sin, from the very first instant, you were entirely immaculate.”

By Patti Armstrong, EWTN News, 12/8/19

No one has ever been better prepared for Christmas than the Blessed Mother. Despite the stress of needing to travel by donkey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, a four- to six-day journey over rough terrain with no place to stay at the end, Mary was spiritually ready to give birth to our Savior. God’s plan is always perfect. He wanted his Son to be born of a woman free of sin in a humble place—a manger, among animals.

The feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated during Advent, on Dec. 8.  It is a beautiful time to ask for Mary’s intercession to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus. The Immaculate Conception refers to our Blessed Mother, not to Jesus, which is a common misconception — literally, in this case. It means that Mary was conceived without sin (CCC 490-491):

To become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.’ The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace.’ 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. ….

Read more here http://www.ncregister.com/blog/armstrong/let-the-immaculate-conception-help-you-prepare