"Most Highly Favoured Lady"...The Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

Gabriel's Message

The angel Gabriel from heaven came
His wings as drifted snow
His eyes as flame
"All hail" said he "thou lowly maiden Mary,
Most highly favoured lady," Gloria!

"For known a blessed mother thou shalt be,
All generations laud and honor thee,
Thy Son shall be Emmanuel,
By seers foretold
Most highly favoured lady," Gloria!

Then gentle Mary meekly bowed her head
"To me be as it pleaseth God," she said,
"My soul shall laud and magnify his holy name."
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!

Of her, Emmanuel, the Christ was born
In Bethlehem all on a Christmas morn
And everyone throughout the world forever saved
Most highly favoured lady, Gloria!

Recorded by Sting; traditional melody; words by Sabine Baring Gould

"Most highly favoured lady."

Today Catholics celebrate the Holy Day of the Immaculate Conception. Many Catholics mistakenly believe (as I once did) that this refers to the conception of Mary's son, Jesus, but it doesn't. It refers to her own conception "without original sin and its stain," without flaw or corrupt nature of any kind, one "full of grace," not half-full or a quarter-full of grace (as a priest friend once said).

This is not a doctrine lesson. Nor am I looking to stir up evangelicals in the debate about overemphasis on Mary (for a former-evangelical's explanation on that topic, Mark Shea said it best: "No Mary, no human nature for Christ. No human nature for Christ, no death on the cross. No death, no resurrection. No resurrection, no salvation.").

I invite all to ponder this fact: Mary is the "Most highly favoured lady," favoured by God, in His plan for her...

from the moment of her own conception.

That is the reason why Catholics celebrate the Immaculate Conception of Mary.

Not the Immaculate Implantation of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Blastocyte of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Embryo of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Fetus of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Viability of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Birth of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Personhood of Mary.

Or the Immaculate Sentience of Mary.

Maybe this will help non-Catholics (and sadly some Catholics too) understand better why being a true Catholic believer means knowing that abortion is what occurs when a life is ended anytime after conception. When I first posted this on 12/8/2005, an atheist friend of the blog commented that it finally made sense to her why we feel the way we do about abortion.

(published today, as Dec. 8 is normally the day, but tomorrow, Dec. 9 is the celebrated day this year, as Dec. 8 fell on a Sunday)