The Immaculate Misconception

(I was hoping to get this post up in time for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, but it was not to be.  This has been a crazy-busy week, the most important event being the birth of my new nephew, "Baby E!"  Many blessings  to my brother and sister-in-law as they start the journey of parenthood.  They live an hour away and we haven't had a chance to meet the little one yet; we'll see him next weekend for sure, Lord willing! 

Oh, and the statue in the photo above adorns the lovely Immaculate Conception Church in Fairbanks, Alaska.  For more photos of this beautiful little church, click here.)

I remember when Joe and I were dating and I was still a Baptist, we had many in-depth conversations about Mary.  I had always known that Catholics gave Mary special honor, even naming churches after her and reciting prayers to her.  I never really understood why this was.  Joe explained to me that Catholics honor and venerate Mary because she is the mother of Our Lord, and the Church teaches that Mary was preserved from sin--and never sinned-- so that Christ would have a pure vessel to enter this world through. In fact, he was surprised to learn that other Christian faiths did not teach this.   I dismissed this concept at first, saying that I did not believe that at all; Mary was no different from you and me, and she was a sinner just like everyone else.  I figured God must have chosen her because she was particularly faithful and holy--after all, some sinners are more faithful than holy than others. 

One night during a get-together with some of Joe's high school friends, many of whom were Catholic, someone brought up the subject of the Immaculate Conception.  I had heard this term before, and never thought much of it; I assumed it referred to Christ's conception by the Holy Spirit in Mary's womb.  That was one thing all Christian faiths taught, and I could wrap my head around it.  Someone asked the group if they knew what the Immaculate Conception referred to.  Several people said, "why, it's Jesus' conception in the womb of Mary, of course."  The person then explained that even though many Catholics have this notion, it actually means that Mary was preserved from original sin at the moment of her conception.  (I'm pretty sure Joe knew the right answer, by the way.)  This REALLY confused me, because now I'm like, "WHAT??  The Church teaches that Mary was conceived in her mother's womb in the same way that Jesus was?  Like without sex??"  Well, no, I was assured; Mary was conceived in the usual manner, but God protected her from the sin of Adam and Eve.  (I later learned that many Protestants hold the mistaken view that Catholic Church teaches a virginal conception of Mary.  This is not the case.)  Surprisingly, this made perfect sense to me, even though I had earlier pooh-poohed the idea of a sinless Mary.  Why, after all, would God not want a pure vessel for His Son?  Why wouldn't he make a sinless mother to bear Him?  Over the years, since becoming Catholic, I have come to a better understanding of it.  Some ask, "Why does Mary refer to God as her savior in the Magnificat?  That proves she's a sinner."  Remember, Christ is beyond space and time.  Mary was saved by the merits of her divine Son on the Cross at the moment of her conception.  I sometimes think of it as if Mary was baptized at the moment she was conceived--thus having the stain of original sin removed--but an even more powerful one because she lived a completely sinless life. 

I found this wonderful video by Scott Hahn, who explains beautifully why Catholics celebrate Mary's Immaculate Conception.

I have no idea when you'll hear from me again, on this blog anyway (although I expect I'll be around on Facebook and Twitter).  This week, with what little free time I have, I'm hoping to get a good chunk of Christmas shopping done, start sending out Christmas cards, and spend some quality time with little E. and his mommy and daddy.  I might try to see what I can do about moving my blog over to Wordpress, or at least clean up my web albums to make room for more photos to post here, although that might not happen for a while.  Have a great week, and happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

Here's Moe when he dressed up as Saint Juan Diego for the All Saints Day parade at school last year.

Get Thee To the Church: Immaculate Conception, Fairbanks Alaska

We started our vacation by going to Mass.

After checking into our hotel in the middle of the night and catching a few hours' sleep, we walked across the flag-adorned bridge that spans the Chena River to the little church on the other side (which, as you can see, seemed to be in the process of having having the siding replaced). 

(I said a prayer for this little guy...)

I was excited to learn that Immaculate Conception Church was the very first Catholic church in the interior of Alaska.  When it was built in the early 1900s, it was on the opposite side of the river.  In 1911 they rolled it across the frozen river on logs.  (Have you ever read The Shipping News?  I couldn't help but think about the house that was dragged across the ice in that story.)  

I was also surprised to learn that this is the only church in the entire state of Alaska with lovely stained-glass windows like these. 

(Surely not, I reasoned; that must be a mistake.  But it says so right on their website. I've browsed photos of many, if not most, of the Catholic churches in Alaska, and it just might be true.  Perhaps there are some Protestant ones...)

(I just loved the pressed-tin designs on the ceiling and walls!)

The little church--about the size of Our Lady of the Valley, I would say--was surprisingly full on this particular Sunday, and a fair number of the worshippers were tourists like us.  I know this because the priest asked everyone who was visiting from out of town to stand up and introduce themselves.  (I took these photos after Mass, by the way, when everyone had already gone outside.)

We were only in Fairbanks for a couple of days, but it was clear that the people here take great pride in their city, their state, and their heritage.  We encountered some homelessness and drunkenness (in one restaurant, a man had to be escorted from the establishment for wandering in and bothering customers), but everyone we crossed paths with was warm and friendly and welcoming.

We ended our vacation with Mass, too.  I'll show you that church in another post!