PAINTING: The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner
Before the world was made, he chose us: he chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence.
Ephesians 1,4
In the Roman Catholic calender, today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Sometimes confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, it celebrates Mary's conception without original sin, the human condition that inclines us to do what we know we shouldn't and not do what we know we should. I admit that I have never found this particular feast compelling; the explanation of "being free from the stain of original sin" sounds esoteric and, well, odd. I never could get into the "stain of original sin" language. I read something on the Universalis website that helped me begin thinking about this feast in a new way. Read More
Before the world was made, he chose us: he chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless, and to live through love in his presence.
Ephesians 1,4
In the Roman Catholic calender, today is the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Sometimes confused with the virgin birth of Jesus, it celebrates Mary's conception without original sin, the human condition that inclines us to do what we know we shouldn't and not do what we know we should. I admit that I have never found this particular feast compelling; the explanation of "being free from the stain of original sin" sounds esoteric and, well, odd. I never could get into the "stain of original sin" language. I read something on the Universalis website that helped me begin thinking about this feast in a new way. Read More