December 7, 2025
Second Sunday of Advent
Dear Parish Family:
The Immaculate Conception is sometimes misunderstood as to whose conception we are talking about. The Annunciation (March 25) celebrates the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8) celebrates the conception of Mary, daughter of Ann and Joachim.
This conception is called Immaculate because when Mary was conceived, she did not have the mark of Original Sin that all human persons have from the moment of their conception. Original Sin is the sin of Adam and Eve, our first parents. The apple, the garden, etc. This first sin of human beings against God is inherited by all human beings. It is part of our human nature. It is washed away in the Sacrament of Baptism, but the scar of that sin remains, giving us an inclination toward sin or a weakness in resisting temptation.
God, in His loving plan for our salvation, chose Mary to be the mother of His Son. Chosen as the holy vessel in which the Word would become Flesh and God would become Incarnate, it makes sense that God would have kept Mary, from the very first moment of her conception, free from Original Sin. Pure and spotless. The Immaculate Conception of Mary reminds us that God has a plan. That He knows what He is doing. That He is always working things out for the good of those who love Him.
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (December 8) is a Holy Day of Obligation. Because Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, is the patroness of the United States, this feast day is always a Holy Day of Obligation, even when it falls on a Saturday or Monday. Typically, there would be a “vigil” Mass the evening before. This year, December 7 is the Second Sunday of Advent, which outranks the Immaculate Conception’s liturgical feast day. So, a “vigil” Mass is not possible this year. Masses here at Good Shepherd for the Immaculate Conception Holy Day of Obligation are on Monday, December 8 at 6:30 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 12 Noon, and 6:00 p.m.
Grace and peace!
Father Neil Sullivan