Prayers for December: the month of the Immaculate Conception
During Advent, as we prepare for the birth of Christ at Christmas, we also celebrate one of the great feasts of the Catholic Church. The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception (8 December) is not only a celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but a taste of our own redemption. It is such an important holiday that the Church has declared the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception a holy day of obligation and the Immaculate Conception is the patronal feast of the United States.
The Blessed Virgin Mary: what humanity must have been
In keeping the Blessed Virgin free from the stain of sin from the moment of her conception, God presents us with a glorious example of what humanity was supposed to be. Mary is truly the second Eve, because, like Eve, she entered the world without sin. Unlike Eve, he remained sinless throughout his life, a life that he completely dedicated to the will of God. The Eastern Fathers of the Church called it "spotless" (a phrase that frequently appears in Eastern liturgies and hymns to Mary); in Latin, that phrase is immaculate: "immaculate".
The Immaculate Conception is the result of Christ's redemption
The Immaculate Conception was not, as many people mistakenly believe, a prerequisite for Christ's act of redemption, but the result of it. Standing out of time, God knew that Mary would humbly submit to her will and, in her love for this perfect servant, applied to her at the moment of her conception the redemption, won by Christ, that all Christians receive at their baptism .
It is therefore appropriate that the Church has long ago declared the month in which the Blessed Virgin was not only conceived, but gave birth to the Savior of the world as the Month of the Immaculate Conception.
A prayer to the Immaculate Virgin
O Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God and my Mother, from your sublime height turn your eyes on me with pity. Full of confidence in your goodness and of fully knowing your power, I beg you to extend your assistance to me on the journey of life, which is so full of danger for my soul. And so that I may never be a slave to the devil through sin, but may never live with my humble and pure heart, I entrust myself totally to you. I consecrate my heart to you forever, my only desire is to love your divine Son Jesus. Mary, none of your devoted servants has ever died; I too can be saved. Amen.
In this prayer to the Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, we ask for the assistance we need to avoid sin. Just as we could ask our mother for help, we turn to Mary, "Mother of God and my Mother", so that she can intercede for us.
An invocation to Maria
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you.
This short prayer, known as aspiration or ejaculation, is famous above all for its presence on the Miraculous Medal, one of the most popular Catholic sacramentals. "Conceived without sin" is a reference to the Immaculate Conception of Mary.
A prayer from Pope Pius XII
Enchanted by the splendor of your heavenly beauty and driven by the anxieties of the world, we throw ourselves into your arms, O Immaculate Mother of Jesus and our Mother, Mary, confident of finding in your most loving heart the satisfaction of our ardent desires, and a port safe from the storms that plague us from all sides.
Although degraded by our defects and overwhelmed by infinite misery, we admire and praise the unparalleled wealth of sublime gifts with which God has filled you, above all other simple creatures, from the first moment of your conception until the day when, after your assumption in heaven, crowned you Queen of the Universe.
O crystal fountain of faith, bathe our minds with eternal truths! O perfumed lily of all holiness, fascinate our hearts with your heavenly perfume! O Conquest of evil and death, inspire in us a profound horror of sin, which makes the soul detestable to God and slave of hell!
O beloved of God, listen to the ardent cry that rises from every heart. Tenderly bend over our aching wounds. Convert the wicked, dry the tears of the afflicted and the oppressed, comfort the poor and the humble, quench the odors, soften hardness, protect the flower of purity in youth, protect the holy Church, make all men feel the attraction of Christian goodness. In your name, sounding harmoniously in heaven, they can recognize that they are brothers and that nations are members of one family, on which the sun of universal and sincere peace can shine.
Receive, O sweetest Mother, our humble supplications and above all obtain for us that, one day, happy with you, we could repeat before your throne that hymn that is sung today on earth around your altars: you are all beautiful, O Maria ! You are glory, you are joy, you are the honor of our people! Amen.
This theologically rich prayer was written by Pope Pius XII in 1954 in honor of the centenary of the promulgation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary
The beautiful prayer of praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary was written by Saint Ephrem the Syrian, a deacon and doctor of the Church who died in 373. Saint Ephrem is one of the Eastern fathers of the Church most often invoked in support of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.