Since at least the seventh century, the Church has observed what became the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. Originally, it was known as the “Conception of Mary by St. Anne.” It is also the patronal feast of the United States of America.

     To keep all the evolving doctrinal disputes of today’s feast simple, I’d suggest we go to a prayer we’ve all known since our childhood: the Hail Mary, whose origin we heard in today’s Gospel.

     Every morning after saying Morning Prayer, I turn to a series of prayer cards, mostly listing the deaths of loved ones—and one of them is for my late aunt, Mary Ann—and then I go on to recite the names of deceased family members: Nana, Grandma, Mom, Dad, Ellen, Kevin, Mark, Christian, Mary Anna, and Joe, Helen, and Jake. Then I pray the Hail Mary for all of them.

     The words of that prayer highlight who and what it is we celebrate on this December 8.

     Firstly, we say, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” which echoes our belief that the Blessed Mother was filled with God’s grace—with no sin in her—in anticipation of her role as the Mother of Our Savior. In that role, she was surely “blessed among all women,” as we acknowledge that blessed, too, was the fruit of her womb, Jesus.

     Finally, we pray that she who was the Mother of God, and mother of us all, will pray for us who are sinners, both now and at the hour of our death. It’s the perfect prayer, then, as we gather to honor Mary this morning.

     There’s another prayer to the Blessed Mother I use in the morning, taken from St. Augustine. During these terrible days of the pandemic across our world, its words are very fitting: “Holy Mary, help those who are miserable, strengthen those who are discouraged, comfort those who are sorrowful, pray for your people. […] May all who venerate you experience your assistance and protection. Be ready to aid us when we pray.”

    And so we ask ourselves on this day of Mary’s feast: what burden do I most want God to help with in my life now? Let us pray, then, in those words we all know: Hail Mary, full of grace…