Happy Non-insemination of the Virgin Mary’s Mother Day!
Happy Immaculate Conception Day! Did you think that this was the day that Mary did (not) get shtuped by Joseph and Jesus was immaculately conceived?
I did. I even tweeted about it, erroneously.
Thank god for Wikipedia and the efforts of reporters on the religion beat. Because it turns out that December 8 is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, whose birthday is celebrated September 8 and whose own conception is said to fall nine months earlier, on today’s date.
As one Wikipedia contributor ponderously points, the Virgin Mary’s “immaculate conception in the womb of her mother, through sexual intercourse, should not be confused with the doctrine of the virginal conception of her son Jesus, known as the Annunciation, and followed by the Virgin Birth.”
In other words, Immaculate Conception Day doesn’t have anything to do with the conception of the baby Jesus. I’m glad about that, actually. The idea of Mary conceiving on December 8 and giving birth 17 days later conjured images of Mary’s stomach swelling and bursting at breakneck speed, a frightening scenario for any woman who’s given birth to contemplate.
December 8 is supposed to have special significance in the United States, where it is the country’s patronal feast day. I don’t know any Americans who celebrate it as a national holiday. It’s strictly a Catholic affair. But here in Peru, it is a national holiday. Banks closed, schools closed, government offices closed.
Apart from going to church, what is there to do on Immaculate Conception Day in Lima? In our house, El Hijo woke up ecstatic that he didn’t have to go to school.
“It’s like a Saturday,” he explained and rolled for another hour of sleep.
EH’s thoughts echo those of this Marianist poem, by Raissa Maritain:
The Blessed Virgin is the spoiled child of the Blessed Trinity.
She knows no law. Everything yields to her in heaven and on earth.
The whole of heaven gazes on her with delight.
She plays before the ravished eyes of God himself.
In the spirit of the Virgin Mary, my nonCatholic son played like a spoiled child morning long and balked at finishing his homework.
Barbara
I am an American writer who lived in Lima for seven years (2007-2014), where I covered Andean traditions, melting glaciers and daily life in the capital for Miami Herald, MSNBC and Huffington Post. I now live and work in northern Florida where I champion climate change advocacy and compassionate, affordable eldercare.
5 Comments
M. Isabel
According to Catholic teachings, this feast is about how the Virgin Mary was conceived being preserved from the the stain of the Original Sin.
Obviously this was a grace from God, since she was destined to be the mother of Jesus.
That’s why Archangel Gabriel greeted her “Hail Mary, Full of Grace.” She was actually full of grace because she was free of the Original Sin.
You can find some Catholic readings on this matter here;
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07674d.htm
Rachel
Wow! I had no idea! I’ll just attribute that to being raised Protestant. 😉
Barb
LOL Rachel. This feast day isn’t observed by Protestants or Episcopalians, for that matter. The Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches do celebrate it.
Thanks, Isabel, for providing the link for readers who want to understand why this holiday is meaningful for practicing Catholics.
Ward
I had no idea, I just enjoyed the peace and quiet in the streets. All those extra holidays here in Peru are a nice bonus though!
Barb
I enjoy the extra holidays, too. I’m often caught off guard, however, because I can’t keep track of all of them in my head, and suddenly I find that there’s no school for El Hijo, the bank is closed, etc.