The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

"Immaculate Conception" by Bartolome Esteban Murillo, c. 1678

Museo del Prado, Madrid

From ChurchYear.net

We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which asserts that the Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God, and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from every stain of original sin is a doctrine revealed by God and, for this reason, must be firmly and constantly believed by all the faithful.

With these words, spoken in 1854, Pope Pius IX, in the Papal Bull ineffabilis Dei, declared Mary's Immaculate Conception to be dogma. Pius did not invent the concept. Rather, he was affirming a belief held by many Christians that came before him, from East and West, that Mary was conceived free of the stain of original sin, on account of Christ's work. God caused this immaculate conception in order to render Mary a pure vessel to bear God-made-flesh.

Mary, the one who is "full of grace" and the one whom "all generations will called 'blessed'" has been viewed as unique since the earliest days of the Christian faith. Just as Christ has been called the "new Adam," the Church Fathers, especially Saints Justin (AD 150) and Irenaeus (AD 180), saw Mary as the "new Eve," who humbly obeyed God, even though Eve disobeyed. The Church Fathers also called Mary the "new ark of the covenant" and theotokos, God-bearer. It is from these titles that the doctrine of Mary's Immaculate Conception and sinlessness unfolded. Thus St. Ephrem the Syrian (d. AD 373) spoke of Mary as without stain or blemish, calling her "all-pure, all-immaculate, all-stainless, all-undefiled, all-incorrupt, all-inviolate" (see Nisibine Hymns, and "Precationes ad Deiparam"). St. Ambrose (d. AD 397) wrote "lift me up not from Sarah, but from Mary, a Virgin not only undefiled, but a Virgin whom grace has made inviolate, free of every stain of sin" (Commentary on Psalm 118). Augustine left open the possibility of Mary's sinlessness, even using language similar to the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception:

We must except the holy Virgin Mary, concerning whom I wish to raise no question when it touches the subject of sins, out of honour to the Lord; for from Him we know what abundance of grace for overcoming sin in every particular was conferred upon her who had the merit to conceive and bear Him who undoubtedly had no sin (On Nature and Grace, 42).

Later Fathers, such as St. John of Damascus (d. AD 755) and St. Andrew of Crete (d. AD 740) continued this emphasis on Mary's sinlessness as bearer of God. John of Damascus wrote:

The Father's...sanctifying power overshadowed her, cleansed and made her holy, and, as it were, predestined her. Then Thou, Word of the Father...didst take flesh of the Blessed Virgin, vivified by a reasoning soul, having first abided in her undefiled and immaculate womb...(Sermon I: On the Assumption)

John also spoke of Mary's "holy, undefiled, and stainless soul" (Sermon II: On the Assumption). However, there was no official dogma of the Immaculate Conception as of this period. Most Church Fathers agreed that Mary was sinless at the time she gave birth to Christ. They disagreed as to whether Mary was made sinless at conception, birth, or when she said "yes" to God's call. Even some prominent medieval Western theologians (notably St. Bonaventure and St. Thomas Aquinas*) denied Mary's Immaculate Conception, although not her sinlessness. Even today, Catholic and Orthodox theologians agree that Mary is the all-holy, blameless, "new ark"; the debate is not about Mary being sinless, but about when Mary was made sinless. Part of this disagreement is because the East does not believe in original sin as the Western Church defines it. Orthodox theologian John Myendorff, in Byzantine Theology, has suggested the East would likely accept the Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception if they had a Western understanding of Original Sin. The East and West nonetheless seem to be getting at the same "mystery": Mary's sinlessness and holiness in her role as theotokos.

*- St. Thomas believed, like most at the time, in the entire personal sinlessness of Mary, and believed that Mary was made immaculate before her birth; His writings place this sanctification somewhere between conception and birth, at the time when her soul and body were joined, an event some medieval theologians believed occurred a short time after conception.

History

The Feast of Mary's Conception is clearly known as early as the 7th century in the East, and may even date to as early as the 5th century in the Churches of Syria. The feast spread to the West, at least by the 9th century. The feast and doctrine initially were opposed by the Dominicans, while the Franciscans argued in favor of the Immaculate Conception and its feast. For awhile, a great debate raged about the doctrine, even up until the 19th century. The Council of Basle in 1439 affirmed that the Immaculate Conception was a pious belief in accord with the Catholic faith. In 1476 Pope Sixtus IV approved the feast with its own Mass and Office, and in 1708, Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church, making it a holy day of obligation. In 1847, Pope Pius IX proclaimed Mary as patroness of the United States, under the title of her immaculate conception. Thus, to this day, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States.

The Orthodox and many Eastern Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Conception of Mary on December 9. This places Mary's conception 9 months, minus a day, from her birth (celebrated September 8). This apparently symbolizes that while Christ had a perfect humanity, even though Mary was the Mother of God, she did not (since Christ spent 9 full months in the womb, from March 25-December 25). However, the Orthodox do not celebrate Mary's immaculate conception on December 9 as Eastern Catholics do. The West observes the feast on December 8. While this dogma took centuries to develop and unfold, as did the dogma of the Trinity, the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is certainly fitting for one whom the Eastern Christians call panagia, i.e. "all-holy," and who bore God-Made-Man, Jesus Christ.

Placido Domingo and the Vienna Boys' Choir - "Ave Maria" - Franz Schubert

The Taming of the Shrewd

By Dianne Linderman

While the gang of connivers in the White House boastfully proclaims, “Never waste a good crisis,” the barrage of America-bound, economy-busting bombs from the administration’s playbook “How to Corral Shrewd American Entrepreneurs” continues. As an entrepreneur, I would like to know where this administration got its training in business. Like so many other American businessmen and women, I keep scratching my head and wondering what the big plan for America is.

Ten years ago, my husband and I began encouraging our two kids to learn about entrepreneurship. Like any good parents, we started simply and suggested that they sell homemade cookies and coffee at our yard sale. We explained to them about start up costs and how after their sale they had to pay back their original investment to us, (the bank), and any money left over would be “profit.” At the end of the day, they had profited seventeen dollars, and, as five and seven-year-olds, they were ecstatic. I saw a huge change in them after that day. My son became more interested in learning math and writing as he came to understand the practical uses for academics. The whole world opened up to him; he saw opportunity in everything and even started a very profitable business by the time he was twelve years old!

What would have happened to my kids that day if I had told them that, in the real world, they would have to give up most of their seventeen-dollar profit as taxes, and, at the end of the day, they would probably owe money? Where would their enthusiasm, vision, excitement, and industrious qualities go? Why would they even want to put the effort out to create cookies or, for that matter, ever start anything or become anything in life, if at the end of the day, they would have nothing to show for their entrepreneurial endeavors? If I told them the confusing truth, that even though some taxes are necessary most of the taxes they would pay would go toward entitlements for others who don’t work and won’t work because they are encouraged to sit and wait for someone to hand them a meal, a condom, free health care, fee education, free housing, and a free ride, they would have been as completely and utterly confused as the rest of us hard-working Americans.

Now that they are teenagers, I try to point out some things to them such as how government employees make twice as much as the average hard-working private sector worker and that the government takes just about all of the profit from our businesses each year and sometimes we even owe money. It is hard for them to fathom what I tell them and sometimes they actually begin to show signs of depression as I share what America now offers to its people.

When I explained that the government spends our hard-earned money like a group of women on a shopping spree at Macy’s and does not pay back the money that it borrows before it borrows more, my kids were confused because when they were 5 and 7 they had to pay back their original investment for their cookie supplies. When I showed my kids how our government treats successful American companies as if they were the enemy, while embracing failed companies, people, and capitalism-hating countries with the same love and compassion as a spoiling mother, they were completely overwhelmed.

I told my kids that starting a business nowadays will take so much more than all of their great visions and ideas: they will have to jump through bureaucratic hoops and ask permission to contribute to society in the form of paying thousands of dollars for permits for everything from the initial concept to opening the doors; after they make their first dollar, they will have to pay an accountant to make sure that the government gets its share; and when they become successful, they will have to become shrewd business people and hire a team of attorneys to protect what they have made.

As owners of a huge company, they will appear to be a greedy corporation that takes advantage of its employees, and so they will have compensate by doing things like paying for their employees’ health insurance even when they can barely afford it for their own families.

My kids looked at me as if I had just read them a horror story and asked, “Mom, why would anyone want to start a business in America and how would the government operate if all of the entrepreneurs decided that they would stop running their businesses and make no more money? Where would the government get its money then?” I could only answer, “Hmmm… interesting questions!”

Dianne Linderman has been a nationally-syndicated talk show host on Radio America with her live, call-in show, “Everything That Matters, In Life, Business, Parenting and Cooking." She recently launched her own magazine, “Everything That Matters” to accompany her radio show. Dianne has appeared on national television, dozens of national radio talk shows, and has been a speaker for the 2004 Republican Convention representing entrepreneurial moms and women.

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Muslim Brotherhood Front Group Trains Airport Screeners

From Human Events

By Connie Hair

The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) has completed training for 2,200 Transportation Safety Officers (TSOs) at the Los Angeles International Airport according to a press release found on the MPAC website.

The MPAC release notes that the two-month training course informed officers of "the diversity of Muslims around the world from cultural dress to language to tenets. The four trainers taught the TSOs how to properly handle a Quran and discussed the different ways Muslim women and men choose to cover or dress. For example, the TSOs learned if a woman wears hijab and needs a secondary screening she should be screened in a private area by a female TSO officer."

(The Drudge Report shocked the nation with this photo of a nun being patted down by a Muslim woman in head garb. Apparently Christian women are afforded only public groping sessions.)

In 1986, MPAC was formed as a political action arm of one of the largest Wahhabi mosques in America, the Islamic Center for Southern California.

As the Center for Security Policy's Team B II report entitled "Sharia: The Threat to America" notes, "The founders of the Islamic Center for Southern California are Hassan Hathout and his brother Maher Hathout. The late Hassan Hathout was a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood Movement. The two brothers Maher spent time in an Egyptian prison during the early days of the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities there, led by the Brotherhood’s founder Hassan Al Banna. MPAC’s own publication, The Minaret, has proudly called Hassan a 'companion of' and Maher 'a close disciple of' Brotherhood founder Hassan al Banna."

Maher Hathout also founded and is currently a senior advisor for MPAC. He and others at MPAC also currently work for and maintain a close relationship with the Islamic Center of Southern California.

Hathout was also on the board of directors and a member of the American Muslim Council (AMC) from 1993 to 1997. AMC was founded by the al Qaeda financier and Hamas operative Abdurahman Alamoudi who is currently serving 23 years in prison for funding terrorist groups including al Qaeda.

Maher Hathout served on the AMC Board of Directors at the same time Alamoudi was serving as its Executive Director.

"Maher Hathout has publicly voiced his approval of Designated Terrorist Organizations such as Hezbollah; decried many U.S. counterterrorism efforts; called for the destruction of Israel; and, openly supported known terrorists such as Hasan al Turabi, the leader of the National Islamic Front of Sudan. Yet, the organization he founded, MPAC, enjoys a reputation in official U.S. circles as a 'moderate' Muslim organization," the Team B II report states.

"Salam al-Marayati is the current president of MPAC. Al-Marayati was denied a leadership position on the National Commission on Terrorism by then-House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt when it came to light that Al-Marayati claimed that the terrorist group, Hezbollah, was a legitimate organization and has the right to attack the Israeli Army.

"Edina Lekovic is MPAC’s Communications Director. Previously, Lekovic was editor of the magazine Al-Talib when it editorialized that Osama bin Laden was a freedom fighter and warrior for Allah, who should be defended by Muslims. Al-Talib is the magazine published by the UCLA chapter of the Muslim Student’s Association. ... The MSA was the first Muslim Brotherhood organization established in the United States."

MPAC works as a propaganda and misinformation ministry for the Muslim Brotherhood. One example offered in the Team B II Report is its aggressive and successful pursuit of total control of the language used by the United States government in regard to Muslim terrorists.

"MPAC attacked the language used to describe the events of September 11, 2001 detailed in the 9/11 Commission Report. MPAC demanded an end to the use of words such as jihad, ummah, caliphate, shariah and others in relation to terrorist doctrine," the report states.

"In subsequent years, the National Counterterrorism Center, the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have all issued strategic counterterrorism documents devoid of these terms. Such conformity to shariah by U.S. government entities such as the FBI and DHS is an extraordinary strategic victory for the enemy in the information battlespace."

The Investigative Project offers another extensive background study of MPAC's links to jihadi terrorist groups.

You can obtain a copy of the Team B II report on the Center for Security Policy website here.

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'Brits at their Best' Profiles Sunlit Uplands

We are honored and grateful to have been profiled yesterday on one of Great Britain's, indeed the Internet's, most beautiful and interesting websites, Brits at their Best.

Brits at their Best is a joyous, sumptuous, eye-appealing tribute to the life of Great Britain today, and the civilization-building contributions that the British nation has made at home and throughout the world. It celebrates her heroes, saints, scholars, knights, military leaders, political leaders, scientists, inventors, artists, and their extraordinary legacy to us all. Most importantly, it provides the time-line and tells the story of Britain's role in the ever broadening quest for freedom and self-determination, and freedom's hallmarks - Magna Carta, parliamentary government, habeas corpus, trial by jury, freedom of speech, common law, economic freedom, and respect for the property and rights of the individual.

Brits at their Best is not only a pleasure for those who love history, it is a source of inspiration for all English-speaking people in their efforts to defend and renew their culture. We heartily recommend it.