Morning Prayer - THURSDAY, 08 Dec 2022

LISTEN | Morning Prayer - December 8, 2022 | Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women." - Luke 1:18

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854.

Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin."

St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us that God has chosen us in Christ to be his people and that Mary’s immaculate conception was part of God’s predestined plan for our salvation and glory. In order to achieve that salvation and glory we have to live the gospel values and say ‘yes’ to God every day, just as Mary did. Falling as it does in Advent, this solemnity also reminds us of our preparations for the birth of Christ at Christmas and of the necessity to remove sin from our own lives.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to Thee!

Join the whole Christian community in praising and thanking the Lord for the gift of Mary to the Church through the ancient tradition of the Office of Lauds. Listen, share and subscribe to Thursday's Morning Prayer. Brought to you by the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Social Communication. Available on Anchor, Apple, Google and Spotify.

*Music: Deeper Melodies by WTB Records

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