Denver Catholic

2 DECEMBER 8-21, 2018 | DENVER CATHOLIC Archbishop's Page Archbishop's Column Most Rev. Samuel J. Aquila PHOTO OF THE WEEK ARCHBISHOP'S SCHEDULE DEC. 16: Mass, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, Denver (10:30 a.m.) Published by the Archdiocese of Denver, 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 Denver Catholic (USPS 557-020) is published bi-weekly, except monthly in January. Denver Catholic is printed by Prairie Mountain Publishing, LLC in Boulder. Periodical postage paid in Denver, CO. SUBSCRIPTIONS: $50 a year in Colorado; $57 per year out of state. Foreign countries: $57 surface, all countries, 6-8 weeks for delivery; $135 air, all other countries (average). Mexico, $63 air; Canada, $70 air. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Denver Catholic, Circulation Dept., 1300 S. Steele St., Denver, CO 80210 or email circulation@archden.org. CIRCULATION: denvercatholic.org/circulation Editor AARON LAMBERT Business Manager MICHAEL O'NEILL Reflecting upon the Immaculate Conception E very Dec. 8, the Church observes the feast of the Immaculate Conception, and without fail, people think that this refers to Jesus' conception, when it is actually the celebration of Mary being conceived without sin. I want to refl ect with you on this mystery, so that we can appreciate its signifi cance in salvation history. The Catechism explains that through "the centuries the Church has become ever m ore aware that Mary, 'full of grace' through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception." And in 1854 Pope Pius IX declared that this teaching is an infallible dogma of the Church. Just as God's grace reaches us 2,000 years after his death and res- urrection through the sacraments, so too, did God the Father give the graces of his son's sacrifi ce to Mary, so that she was conceived in her mother's womb without inheriting Adam and Eve's original sin. This is what we celebrate every Dec. 8. God chose a woman, through the gift of motherhood, to actively participate in the redemption of the world! In the Oš ce of Readings for this feast, St. Anselm eloquently observes, "Blessed Lady, sky and stars, earth and rivers, day and night — everything that is subject to the power or use of man — rejoices that through you they are in some sense restored to their lost beauty and are endowed with inexpressible new grace." It is truly wonderful and myste- rious that God the Father began the redemption of the world by choosing Mary to play a vital role in his plan. This is why the Church Fathers speak of Mary as the "New Eve," since by her obedience and trust, Mary began the process of undoing the harm infl icted by Eve's disobedience and distrust. The fi rst bishops of the United States appreciated Mary's unique role in our salvation and her heavenly protection, so in 1846 — some eight years before Pope Pius IX's declara- tion of her sinless conception — they requested that she be named the patroness of our country, under the title Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception. Similarly, the Archdio- cese of Denver has Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception as its prin- cipal patroness and has named its cathedral basilica after her. Mary might seem far from our everyday reality, but she is truly very close to us. She knows what it's like to grow up in an uncertain time, to accept great responsibility at a young age, to raise a child in a place like Egypt and then return to Nazareth. She knew poverty and danger. She also knew great loss through the death of St. Joseph and then the death of her son, Jesus. The key to Mary's perseverance through the uncertain and unclear moments in her life can be found in her trust in the Father. Rather than doubting him when things seemed hard to believe, Mary "kept all these things, refl ecting on them in her heart" (Lk 2:19). When, for exam- ple, the shepherds appeared shortly after Jesus was born and related the angels' message that they would fi nd the Messiah wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, Mary pondered this miracle in her heart. St. Anslem o¨ ers some insight into this mystery in a sermon he gave for this solemnity. He preached: "God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life." On this Solemnity of the Immacu- late Conception, a holy day of obliga- tion, may our hearts grow like Mary's in trust of God the Father, and may we o¨ er thanks to the Father for the gift of Mary our mother, and through her tender maternal intercession may we grow in greater trust to give witness to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior! Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila blesses two people after celebrating a spe- cial Mass commemorating the 50th anniversary of the dedication of All Saints Parish in Denver on Nov. 18. PHOTO BY DANIEL PETTY God, then, is the Father of the created world and Mary the mother of the re-created world. God is the Father by whom all things were given life, and Mary the mother through whom all things were given new life." ST. ANSLEM " LA PURÍSIMA IMMACULADA CONCEPTIÓN, BARTOLOMÉ ESTEBAN MURILLO, 1678

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