Description

Immaculate Conception of Mary

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary holds that God preserved Mary from the moment of her conception, from every stain or effect of the original sin of Adam and Eve that was to be transmitted to all men by descent.

Hence the expression of the archangel Gabriel “full of grace” (Gratia Plena), reflected in the Bible. Mary was preserved from any sin from the moment of her conception, because she received the Holy Spirit of God at that moment.

Therefore, she is already “full of grace,” as the messenger from heaven says, before the moment of the incarnation. This new name given to Mary means that God loved her in a very special way, not allowing her to be separated from him at any moment of her existence.

This privilege of Mary is based on her choice to be the mother of God’s own Son. To fulfill this mission she needed to be perfectly holy, not putting up the slightest resistance to God’s plan.

In fact, Mary accepted without restriction God’s invitation when she said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May he do with me as your words say. But this unconditional surrender of Mary to God’s will would not be possible if there had been any shadow of sin in her life.