Cardinal Tobin: Mary’s path follows that of Jesus

My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,

Each year during Advent, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception was infallibly proclaimed by Pope Pius IX in 1854—nearly 1,900 years after the birth of the humble woman from Nazareth, who is the only person ever to receive this uniquely important gift from God. (See selection from the Catechism of the Catholic Church below.)

Catholics believe that, from the moment of her conception, God blessed Mary with His gift of redeeming grace. Although she was a descendant of Adam and Eve, and therefore part of our sinful human race, God’s mercy kept her from the sinful tendencies that affect every human being and from all personal sin.

Mary was free from sin from her conception because she was chosen to give birth to God’s only Son, the new Adam, who represents a radical break from humanity’s guilt-ridden past. In Mary, we see the fulfillment of our redemption. She was not born without sin because of her own merits, but because God chose her to bear His Word made flesh.

Mary was the first person to be redeemed by Christ. This singular act of mercy came before she accepted the vocation that God intended for her. Mary’s immaculate conception made her a perfect steward of God’s gift of self. In her womb, the one who was destined to be our redeemer was nurtured and formed by God’s grace.

Divine Mercy does not minimize the gravity of sin. Instead, it recognizes the weakness of our human condition and allows for the possibility that we, sinful human beings, can—with the help of God’s grace—overcome even our most grievous sins and return to our rightful places in the one family of God.

Mary was granted this merciful redemption in advance and therefore was strengthened by God’s grace in the face of every temptation. As a result, she was able to make the right choices in her daily life. Mary is, therefore, the supreme example of redeemed humanity. She is what each of us is called to be: holy, sinless, and ready to follow Jesus—with the help of God’s grace.

Continue reading Cardinal Tobin’s latest newsletter.