Today we celebrate the great Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which here in the United States is our patronal feast. I've often wondered why Mary under this title was chosen to be the patroness of our country. It was declared so in 1846, by the Council of Baltimore. That's eight years before the doctrine was actually defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. That does not mean that the belief that Mary was preserved from the moment of her conception from all stain of original sin isn't a very ancient one in the Church, but it was simply at that moment that the Pope, prompted by the Spirit, decided to make a formal doctrinal pronouncement on the matter. One could say that the dogma was given heavenly approbation when the Blessed Mother identified herself to St. Bernadette with that very title at Lourdes four years later. But still the question persists: why did the United States bishops make the Immaculate Conception our Patroness? On the one hand Mary is an obvious choice. Who wouldn't want her motherly protection? Or, put better, what sane person wouldn't want it? But why under that title? Why not Our Lady of Perpetual Help, or Our Lady of Victory, or even Our Lady of Guadalupe, for the apparition that happened in our very hemisphere? Even though the decision was made long ago, I've come to see that it wasn't an accident. The U.S. bishops may have made the choice, but the Holy Spirit is the one who knew who we needed as a nation, not so much in 1846, but right now, on the doorstep of 2013.
Mary under this title has been used in the Church to promote the virtue of sexual purity. From the beginning of his work with young people Don Bosco, for example, implored his boys to seek her protection against sexual temptations. In general he promoted purity as the virtue Salesians should be known for, much like Franciscans are known for poverty and Jesuits for obedience. As religious and priests, chaste celibacy frees us to be more docile to the Spirit. With our hearts committed to no one else but Christ, we are free to serve all we meet. We have no particular earthly love, and are so made channels of the Divine love, which took on flesh and gave His life for the salvation of the world.
There is another aspect to the virtue of purity as well. From the Beatitudes we read, "Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God." (Mt. 5:8) This has traditionally been seen as a reference to sexual purity. Any sins of a sensual nature though, be it gluttony or drunkenness as well as sexual sins, lead us inward. They are about satisfying a longing that can never be filled in this life. Eating, drinking and sex are good things, in there place and under our control. But when they become the object of our lives they take control. We become like addicts. We order our lives around them, caring little who we harm as long as we get our fix. In the case of sex we can view other people as objects to be used instead of persons to be respected. But we not only hurt the other, we hurt ourselves.
Two examples from surfing the web recently:
There is an article I read the other day extolling the virtues of the "friends with benefits" culture. The author seemed rather proud of the fact that people in those kinds of relationships were more likely to employ "safe sex" measures, the virtue of the hook up age. But buried at the end was the line that more of these people said they were less satisfied sexually than those in committed relationships, who were also less likely to be worried about "safety." Another thing that got me thinking was an excerpt from a recent biography of Mick Jagger that ran in a newspaper. His ex-wife, Jerry Hall, reflecting on the turmoil that follows Jagger, whose womanizing is legendary, stated, "I feel sorry for Mick. Sexual promiscuity just leads to chaos, and you have to clear it up. I wish he’d find happiness, but I’m not churning inside about it.”
What both these anecdotes point to is the fact that making sex the central object of our lives, or, in a way, reducing it to just another bodily function, leads to unhappiness and a profound sense of dissatisfaction with life, and all around emotional confusion. But what's more it keeps us from seeing spiritual realities around us. As we sow more and more in the flesh, we fail to see the wonders all around us. We stop seeing the world with the eyes of a child, and are less trustful and desirous of the things of God. We also become suspicious of the promises of prospective life partners. As Catholic philosopher Janet Smith has said, those who are promiscuous, even moderately so, have lied and been lied to so many times over they find it hard to trust once the "right one" when he or she comes along.
In the end we lose the vision of God because we stopped looking for him. We become so caught up in the latest pleasure (that never really satisfies) we fail to seek that which is eternal. Because the treasure we have put our entire self into attaining has turned to rust we stop believing that there is anything genuine.
I could continue, but I've rambled on too long. I will return to this at a later time, because there is much more that could and should be said.
But back to the main question; Why is the Immaculate Conception the Patroness of the United States? I believe that it is because we have become embroiled in a radically over sexualized culture. The bishops in Baltimore in 1846 didn't know the Sexual Revolution was coming, but the Holy Spirit did. Mary Immaculate is here to remind us, not simply of the ugliness of vice, but of the beauty of virtue. Her purity enabled her to say yes to God freely. Bernadette's innocents and transparency allowed her to hear the Virgin's words and report them without guile or doubt. Don Bosco's single hearted devotion to Christ allowed him to start a movement, by Mary's inspiration and the Spirit's power, that continues strong to this day. They knew not to confuse contentment, which passes, with true happiness, that is eternal. This is a lesson we as a people need to learn as well.
Mary Immaculate is more than the patroness we may want; she is truly the one we need.
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