December 8, 1854 was a dreary and overcast day in Rome. Yet, despite the unpromising weather, throngs of people made their way to the historic St Peter's Square. Later in the morning, the figure of Blessed Pope Pius IX ascended the stairs of the Altar of the Chair and began his promulgation of the bull Ineffabilis Deus. As he reached the solemn declaration of the definition of the dogma contained therein, the clouds broke and the Pontiff was swathed in rays of light.
Such it was, it seemed, that the heavenly cohort rejoiced and shared their mirth with all the world's faithful as, finally, they too could share in the knowledge of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary and, through her, praise ever more mightily the glory, the power and the majesty of the Most Holy Trinity.
The feast of the Immaculate Conception traces its roots to the East, to about the seventh century, by which time it was being celebrated in the monasteries of Palestine. Here, the feast focused more on the maternity of St Anne since at this time the term conception of Mary was taken to mean the incarnation of the Lord within Mary's womb.
As it spread rapidly in the East, the feast and its teachings did not generate any controversy and it was only when it was introduced in the West that the Immaculate Conception became the subject of intense theological speculation bearing upon the legitimacy of the feast and its central meaning. In fact there was great opposition, and, as a result, the doctrine is considered to be the most prolonged and controversial topic of debate in the history of the Roman Catholic Church.
While there had been opposition to the celebration of the feast before him, it was St Bernard of Clairvaux who can be credited with starting the controversy. In the year 1140, upon the adoption of the Conception of Mary in the cathedral church of Lyons, St Bernard penned an angry letter reproving the canons for taking such a drastic step without first consulting the Holy See. After this, it can be said that debate on the issue exploded and in subsequent times it was explored by a vast number of the Church's most eminent saints and theologians, all of whom took one of the divergent stances on the matter.
The question at the heart of the controversy was simple: Was Mary, in fact, free from original sin or, better still, at what point did the sanctification occur? This was such an important point because if Jesus' Redemptive Act on the cross was to be universal, for all men, then none, not even the Mother of God, could be exempt from it. To this end, notables such as Peter Lombard, St Peter Damian, Alexander of Hales, Albert the Great and even the leading thinkers of the Franciscan and Dominican orders, St Bonaventure and St Thomas Aquinas, held that Mary had in fact been stained with original sin, if only for the slightest moment, before cleansing occurred in the womb (a privilege shared with Jeremiah and St John the Baptist).
The debate occurred precisely because theologians are obliged never to diminish the role of the Saviour in their treatment of Marian feasts and it is good to remember the words of Blessed Pope John XXIII: "The Madonna is not pleased when she is put above her Son".
Yet despite this, there was a steady stream of support as well as popular devotion to the Immaculate Conception from the earliest days of the Church. No less than the great Church Fathers St Hippolytus, St Ephrem and the illustrious St Augustine wrote in favour of Mary's preservation from sin and, from its very introduction, devotees of the feast did not wane.
The most important defender, however, is undoubtedly the Franciscan Blessed John Duns Scotus, who reworked the famous adage potuit, decuit, fecit (first suggested by Eadmer of Canterbury in the 12th century) and articulated an answer to the problem of the Immaculate Conception. He argued that Mary's Immaculate Conception would not only entail the application of the graces of Christ's Redemptive Act, albeit anticipated beforehand, but also, since prevention is greater than cure, such an event meant that the Blessed Virgin would be much more indebted to her Son for this most perfect act of mediation. This argument having been articulated, the situation seemed hopeful for the Immaculate Conception to be solemnly defined by the Roman Catholic Church.
The papal bull Ineffabilis Deus was written nearly three centuries after Scotus' treatment of the subject and was preceded by such important documents as the Council of Trent's Decree Concerning Original Sin and Pope Alexander VII's Sollicitudo omnium Ecclesiarum. The document outlines the contribution of the past centuries and lays the theological groundwork for an understanding of the doctrine.
Finally, Blessed Pius IX solemnly promulgates the dogma with the words: "By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, for the honour of the Holy and undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic Faith and for the furtherance of the Catholic religion, by the authority of Jesus Christ our Lord, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and by our own: We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful".
This year, as the Church celebrates the 150th anniversary of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, it is good to keep in mind the monumental struggle that went into the definitive formulation of this beautiful article of faith. It is no small wonder, in fact, that it proved such an undertaking for the dogma penetrates to the very core of the basic doctrines of Christianity and the mission of Jesus Christ as Redeemer of the whole human race.
As we celebrate this solemnity, we can easily turn our mind to the happy memory of Salvation History, of which the Immaculate Conception eloquently speaks. This feast should be considered as a compendium of the most glorious and fundamental truths of the Catholic faith. Therefore, it cannot be doubted that this feast stands among the greatest of Marian devotions and also of all the liturgical feasts of the Church.
The centrality of this mystery to the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary was articulated by the Mother of God herself when, in an appearance to St Bernadette at Lourdes only four years after the definition, she identified herself by saying: "I am the Immaculate Conception". Clearly the Blessed Mother wishes the Church's faithful to reflect deeply on this truth as the sign and signature of the Heavenly Father's bountiful grace in His compassionate dealings with humankind.
The author is a seminarian in his second year of studies.