Tuesday, December 8, 2026 · Solemnity
The Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Full of grace
From the first moment of her life, Mary was kept free from original sin by the grace of her Son. Today's readings show why: God was preparing a worthy mother for the Savior, and in her he shows what he wants to do for all of us.
The Readings
- First Reading Genesis 3:9-15, 20
- Responsorial Psalm Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4
- Second Reading Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
- Gospel Luke 1:26-38
Open the readings on USCCB.org →
First Reading Genesis 3:9-15, 20
After the fall, God promises that the woman's offspring will strike the serpent's head. From the very start, he plans our rescue.
Psalm Psalm 98
Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has done marvelous deeds.
Second Reading Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12
God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight.
Gospel Luke 1:26-38
The angel greets Mary as full of grace. She says yes, and the Son of God takes flesh in her.
Step Into the Story
Genesis 3 recounts humanity's fall, yet already God promises that the woman's offspring will crush the serpent's head. The Church Fathers called it the Protoevangelium, the first announcement of the Gospel. Writing from prison, Paul praises God for choosing us before the world began to be holy. In Mary, that plan shone from her very first moment.
A feast of Mary's conception was celebrated in the East by the eighth century and spread through the West in the Middle Ages. On December 8, 1854, Blessed Pius IX solemnly defined the dogma in Ineffabilis Deus. Four years later at Lourdes, Our Lady told St. Bernadette, "I am the Immaculate Conception." Mary under this title is patroness of the United States, and today is a holy day of obligation.
Meet Christ
Enter the small house in Nazareth. A young woman is alone. A messenger of God stands before her and greets her by a new name: "Full of grace." She is troubled, she asks a question, and then she gives the answer the whole human race has been waiting for since Eden.
From the first instant of her life, God kept Mary free from sin, preparing a pure home for his Son. Look at the Father's heart in this: he plans our redemption with infinite care. What he did all at once in Mary, he wants to do gradually in you.
Go to Mass today, a holy day of obligation. Pray one Hail Mary slowly, pausing on "full of grace," and ask Mary to help you say yes to whatever God is asking of you this Advent.
The Church Teaches
- 80·Mary’s virginity
- 83·the Immaculate Conception
- 117·the Holy Spirit at work in Mary
Full of Grace
In 1854 Blessed Pius IX defined that Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by the merits of Jesus Christ, was "preserved immune from all stain of original sin" (CCC 491).
Redeemed by Her Son
Her holiness comes wholly from Christ: she was "redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son" (CCC 492), and remained free of every personal sin her whole life long (CCC 493).
The New Eve
Many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen in the woman of Genesis 3:15 Mary, the "new Eve" (CCC 411).
A Holy Day of Obligation
The Immaculate Conception is a holy day of obligation (CCC 2177). Go to Mass, and pray the Hail Mary slowly (CCC 2677).
Journal Prompts
When God asks me, "Where are you?", where am I hiding?
What does it mean to me that God planned my holiness "before the foundation of the world"?
Mary said yes without seeing the whole plan. What am I afraid to say yes to?
How would I describe my relationship with Mary right now?
Talk to God
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you. Help me to answer God's word as you did. Amen.