The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary has a much older history than the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. It originated in Jerusalem in the 6th century. This celebration was linked to the dedication of a church built on the traditional site of the Virgin Mary's birth and the home of her parents. It was adopted by the Pope in the 8th century and is celebrated on September 8.

The feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin was approved as a local feast in the 15th century. It only became a feast of the universal Church in the 18th century. The date is set on December 8, which is naturally nine months before the Nativity on September 8.

The celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception is perfectly situated within the season of Advent, a time of Christian expectation. Advent as a Time of Expectation: The faithful await the glorious coming of the Son of God. The Advent preface highlights the Blessed Virgin Mary's own anticipation, stating that she "the Virgin Mother longed for Him with love beyond all telling."

Mary was conceived immaculate—untouched by original sin—so that the Son of God could become man in a worthy vessel. This was a necessary step for the eternal Son of God to enter the world. St. Paul calls the Lord the "one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5). This role is likened to a bridge: Christ is anchored in God (He is truly God). He is also anchored in humanity (He is truly man). He is "the way, the truth, and the life," the path to the Father.

The entire plan of salvation—the Son of God becoming the bridge—depended on the free acceptance of a woman. Mary's "Yes" allowed the Son of God to anchor Himself in humanity: "Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’”

Mary's "Yes" to God is of paramount importance to humanity and is perfectly encapsulated in the Lord's teaching. When a woman in the crowd exclaimed, "Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed” (Luke 11:27), the Lord replied with a seeming clarification: "Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Far from diminishing his mother, the Lord's words offer a deeper understanding of her blessedness. Mary is the human being who heard the word of God and kept it better than anyone else. Because Mary was preserved from original sin (the subject of today's Solemnity), her acceptance of God's will be perfect and complete, lifelong and unconditional.

For the rest of humanity, affected by original sin, our response to God's call is often hindered by doubt and fear. We may use our reasoning to pretend we don't fully understand God's word or our conscience. We may offer a "yes" that is conditional, imperfect, or momentary.

Pope Francis describes this human tendency to delay and compromise: “We are also crafty and so as not to say a true ‘no’ to God, we say: “Sorry, I can’t”; “not today, I think tomorrow”. “Tomorrow I’ll be better; tomorrow I will pray, I will do good tomorrow”. And this cunning leads us away from the ‘yes’. It distances us from God and leads us to ‘no’, to the sinful ‘no’, to the ‘no’ of mediocrity."

Let us follow the example of the Immaculate Virgin and humbly ask for her help in saying a complete "Yes" to God.