Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 6—THE BULLETIN.. November 23, 1959
i MEANING OF IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
IS EXPLAINED BY NOTED SCHOLAR
The National Shrine of the
Immaculate Conception,
Washington, D. C., was dedi
cated on Friday, November
20, Father Carroll has written
this article on the meaning
of the Immaculate Conception.
Father Carroll teaches dog
matic theology at the Catholic
University of America and is
president of the Mariological
Society of the United States.
By Father Eamon R.
Carroll, O, Carm.
(N.C.W.C. News Service)
The word “redemption” us
ually means a liberation. God
became man to liberate us from
the slavery of sin. The redemp
tion of Christ is first made ef
fective in us when baptism
frees us from the original sin.
Through the centuries of ever-
deepening awareness in the
Church of the Blessed Virgin’s
freedom from original sin, a ma
jor problem was the considera
tion that to be truly redeemed
she must have been at least
for a fleeting instant stained
with original sin.
Since our Lady is a true hu
man being, a descendant of
Adam, and since Christ is the
one and only Redeemer of all
men, some of the greatest minds
of the medieval Church, saints
among them, could not accept
Mary’s immunity from original
sin. They regarded the Immacu
late Conception as incompatible
with the truth that Christ died
to save all men without excep
tion.
The credit goes to the Eng
lish Franciscan Duns Scotus for
advancing the solution that Our
Lady’s freedom from original
sin is an anticipated redemp
tion. Ail others are delivered
from sin already contracted.
(l^orcL
en 3
ICE CREAM
ALBANY, GEORGIA
()3esl IAJla/i ed
FIRST
STATE
BANK
ALBANY, GA.
Member Federal Deposit' Insurance Corporation
Mary however forms a unique,
liberative. She is even more in
debted to her Son, Christ the
Redeemer, than are the rest of
men, bee a us e the merits of
Christ’s redemptive sacrifice
prevented sin from ever touch
ing her.
For the Blessed Virgin, as for
all men, the sole Saviour is
Christ the Redeemer; there is
no other source of salvation for
any human being. If one asks
how the Blessed Virgin could
be saved before her Son re
deemed mankind, the answer is
that in God’s all-seeing eterni
ty past and future are one vast
present. God allowed the future
sufferings and death of Christ
to take their saving effect at
the very instant of our Lady’s
conception. It was in considera
tion of the foreseen merits of
Christ that Mary was kept from
incurring original sin. The Im
maculate Conception was a sin
gular grace, given to no other,
something unique in the annals
of God’s dealings with man
kind. It was a privilege, a gra
cious exception to the common
law.
Why did God so singularly
endow our Lady? Why did He
make her so privileged a per
son from the very start? The
answer must be sought in God’s
eternal decree by which He
chose to restore man to divine
friendship by the redemptive
death of the God-Man. The Im
maculate Conception is not an
isolated mystery, standing all
alone with no relationship to
the rest of the truths of the
Faith. Just as it is impossible to
understand the meaning of the
Immaculate Conception with
out accepting the doctrine of
original sin, so our Lady’s se
lection and exemption from in
herited sin is part of the total
mystery of God’s becoming
man. Pope Pius IX stated: “God
by one and the same decree
established the origin of Mary
and the incarnation of divine
Wisdom.”
In early centuries Christian
writers spoke of Mary as the
“new Eve.” The deadly disobe
dience of the first Eve led to
man’s downfall; the life-bring
ing obedience of the new Eve
helped restore, mankind. In
God’s plan of redemption the
Mother of the Saviour was to
share her Son’s struggle and
ultimate victory over Satan.
Unless Mary were immune from
all stain of sin complete victory
over Satan would be impossible
to imagine. Only a person im
maculately conceived could
crush the head of the serpent.
In the Blessed Virgin the sad
pattern of human history re
serves itself —• Christ, the new
Adam, takes over the headship
of the race of the redeemed.
The Mother of Christ is the
first of the redeemed. The plan
of redemption was set in mo
tion with our Lady’s Immacu
late Conception. Her preserva
tive redemption was both the
first effect of Christ’s coming
and a sign of the divine de
sign for all men. What God ac
complished for our Lady
through the Immaculate Con
ception in view of the foreseen
merits of Christ her Son and
Redeemer He accomplishes for
the rest of men through the
grace of Christ in baptism.
Both Mary’s preservative and
our liberative redemptions de
pend on the merits of Christ her
Son. It is Christ who is the
point of reference, and it is the
grace of the redemption which
is the measure of the glory of
the Immaculate Conception. It
is because of her vocation to be
Mother of the Redeemer that
our Lady’s Immaculate Concep
tion is of vital importance to
all men. As St. Pius X phrased
it: the Blessed Virgin “was ex
empt from original sin because
she was to be the mother of
Services For
D. F. Badger
ATLANTA—Funeral Services
for Daniel Francis Badger were
held November 18th at the Sa
cred Heart Church, Rev. John
Emmerth officiating.
Survivors are his mother,
Mrs. H. S. Badger; sister, Mrs.
Kathleen B. Caudel, both of At
lanta; and brother, Harry L.
Badger, New York City.
Sculpture High on Shrine Wall
Christ; and she was the mother
of Christ in order that the hope
of everlasting happiness might
be revived in our souls.”
Funeral Services
For John W. Hudson
ATLANTA—Funeral services
for John Wesley Hudson were
held November 10th at the Sa
cred Heart Church, Rev. John
Emmerth officiating.
Survivors are a daughter,
Mrs. A. J. Purdy, East Point;
mother, Mrs. Louise B. Hudson,
Atlanta, brothers, J. E. Hudson,
Atlanta, and H. H. Hudson,
Seneca, South Carolina.
A great many more people
would be egotistical if they
didn’t run into positive proof or
their unimportance occasional
ly.
OwTstmgs Stcrmp—Down Undei
From Sydney, Australia, comes this special Christmas
postage stamp, depicting the Star of Bethlehem lighting
the way for the Magi. It is issued by the Australian post
office in five-pence denomination (about five cents in U. S.
currency). It is one of the few postage stamps ever issued
by any country to commemorate Christmas. (NC Photos)
THE ALBANY HERALD
“South Georgia's Reading Habit"
Radio Station WALB
1590 KILOCYCLES
W ALB-TV CHANNEL 10
“The Window of South Georgia”
THE NATIONAL
CITY BANK OF
ROME GEORGIA
Member Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation
This depiction of “Mary, Immaculate Queen of the Universe 1 '
is on the outer wall of the north apse of the National Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception, Washington, D. C. The com*
position, 25% feet high and 12 feet wide, is some 60 feet
above the ground. It is expected to become one of the best
known art works in America. Ivan Mestrovic is the artist
who '.ruled it. Photo by Reni. (NCWC)
> Pays To Know Yaur
IJ5, state FARM Aaost
/ ? /) n 1 /
DOUG STEPHENS
INSURANCE SERVICE
Auto © Life • Fire
125 Trinity Place
(/Jed VUisheS
.3ram
DR. 3-4424
j m ^4*****
BRIGATON DIVISION
OF
INTERIORS
ANTIQUES
GIFTS
Burlington Industries, Inc.
47 West Paces Ferry Rd.
CE. 7-3940 Atlanta, Ga.
SHANNON, GA.