Immaculate Conception Day

[islander]

today, december 8, is the feastday of the immaculate conception.

it is a holy day of obligation for catholics.

the immaculate conception is the patron saint of the philippines.


Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception

[islander]

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is universally celebrated on December 8, nine months before the feast of the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on September 8.

It is the patronal feast day of Spain, Korea, Portugal, Nicaragua, Brazil, the Philippines and the United States of America. It is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church as well as a few other closely related Christian churches.


The Immaculate Conception
Francisco Zurbarán
Note the inverted moon and various imagery in reference to the Marian titles of Litany of Loreto.

wikipedia/

[islander]

understanding the immaculate conception at its simplest:

...the Immaculate Conception refers to the dogma in the Catholic religion that Mary was born without original sin on her soul.  “Being always free from original sin, she was from the start filled with the sanctifying grace that would normally come with Baptism after birth.”  The term refers to her immaculate conception â€" being pure and free from all sin, and, therefore, chosen to be the mother of Jesus.

The term has nothing to do with the Virgin Birth of Jesus. (http://www.idontgetit.us/)


Immaculate Conception
Jusepe de Ribera

[islander]

Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful." (http://catholicism.about.com/)


Immaculate Conception
Peter Paul Rubens

[islander]

Immaculate Conception (La Colosal)
Bartolome Esteban Murillo

[islander]

The Immaculate Conception
Guido Reni

[islander]

The Immaculate Conception
Francisco de Zurbaran

[islander]

Immaculate Conception
Diego Velazquez

[Raquelproud boholana]

Happy Feasta Immaculada Concepcion! Happy Birthday pud sa tanang Concepcion!

[Lorenzo]

A Blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception to all of you, my Brothers and Sisters in Christ !


AVE MARIA, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.