Have you ever taken a phrase that has become so familiar and/or cliche' and broken it down word for word, definition by definition, just to get a new look at it?
Yes, well, let me tell you, yesterday's feast is often seen as insignificant by even many faithful; however, the principals of the Theology of the Body permeate the title of the feast ALONE!
Lets look closer. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Often paraphrased as the celebration of the fact that Mary was born without the residue of original sin. This wording is a little deceiving. To be delicate, we often say "born", but the feast is celebrating THE CONCEPTION! Repeat this to yourself until you become a little uncomfortable. We celebrate Mary, yes, but look at the wording. We are celebrating the act of procreation between St. Anne and St. Joachim. We celebrate their loving "yes" to each other as well as Mary's "yes" to God in her very being. We celebrate an un-celibate feast. We celebrate the sex act in it's true and good context. We celebrate the good fruits of that act. We celebrate the movement of God in our world.
Try telling a friend that the Catholic Church has a feast that celebrates sex! Well, it would be more charitable to say we celebrate the perfection and fruits of the marital act (with an emphasis on marital).
Anyway, those are my observations for now.
:)
