That’s the same grace that washed your kids free of the stain of original sin at their baptism. It’s important to note that Mary was not “immaculate” by any merit of her own, but by the saving (“sanctifying”) grace of Jesus Christ, her savior. As a result, all people have a fundamental tendency to repeat the sin of Adam and Eve by trying to take God’s place (Genesis 3:5) in one way or another. But because of the unity of the human race ( Catechism 360), we all “inherited” an injured or faulty human character. (See Genesis 3 for the biblical account.) None of us are personally responsible for their sin. In the simplest terms, original sin refers to the fact that all of humanity was harmed by the sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve. So the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception is connected to another commonly misunderstood doctrine, the doctrine of original sin. Here’s how Blessed Pope Pius IX defined the doctrine in his proclamation of December 8, 1854: “The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.” How original sin fits in The word immaculate literally means pure, or without blemish. Instead, the Immaculate Conception refers to the doctrine that Mary, from the very moment of her conception, was never stained by original sin. The Immaculate Conception means Mary was always free of original sin Nor is it the virginal birth of Jesus by Mary. Let’s start by clearing up a common misconception about the Immaculate Conception: It is not, as many Catholics believe, the virginal conception of Jesus Christ in Mary. Why are we celebrating? A lot of Catholic kids (and adults) don’t actually know, so here’s a little crash course that you can share with your kids.Įxplaining the Immaculate Conception to kids What the Immaculate Conception is not This year the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary is Dec.
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