One Last Look at the Immaculate Conception Before Christmas

This was published on the 15th, the Octave of the Feast. Most of the Octaves were suppressed by Bugnini & Co when they deformed the Liturgy.

From Aleteia

By Philip Kosloski

The Church historically honored the Immaculate Conception eight days after the initial feast, on what is called the Octave Day.

Throughout the Church's history, there have been a variety of liturgical customs that have come and gone, including the celebration of various minor octaves.

Historically the Church would extend the celebration of a major feast for eight days. This was a custom adopted from the book of Leviticus in the Old Testament:

On the first day shall be a holy convocation; you shall do no laborious work. Seven days you shall present offerings by fire to the Lord; on the eighth day you shall hold a holy convocation and present an offering by fire to the Lord; it is a solemn assembly; you shall do no laborious work. (Leviticus 23:35-36)

This was applied to every solemnity in the Church's calendar, with the Immaculate Conception as one of these liturgical feasts, extending its celebration for eight days. The only ones that remain on the calendar formulated after the Second Vatican Council are the Octave of Christmas and the Octave of Easter.

Connecting the Immaculate Conception to Christmas

Dom Prosper Guéranger wrote a beautiful reflection in his Liturgical Year on the connection between the Immaculate Conception and the celebration of Christmas. The reflection he wrote was for December 15, the Octave Day:

Let us once more devoutly reverence the Mystery of Mary's Immaculate Conception: our Emmanuel loves to see his Mother honored. After all, is it not for him and for his sake that this Bright Star was prepared from all eternity, and created when the happy time fixed by the divine decree came? When we honor the Immaculate Conception of Mary, it is really to the divine Mystery of the Incarnation that we are paying our just homage. Jesus and Mary cannot be separated, for Isaiah tells us that She is the Branch, and He the Flower.

It really is fitting that the feast of the Immaculate Conception would fall during Advent, a time when we are already reflecting on the mystery of Jesus' incarnation.

Her feast, so close to Christmas, reminds us of the cleansing balm that will finally reach all of us, when our sins will be wiped away by our Savior.

Guéranger concludes his reflection by praying, "assist us, each year, to prepare for the glorious solemnity of Christmas: Oh, pray for us, that we may be cleansed from all our sins when that splendid Night comes, during which will be born of thee Jesus Christ, the son of God, the Light eternal."

While the Octave Day of the Immaculate Conception is no longer celebrated on the General Calendar, we can still pause for a moment to remember the graces the Virgin Mary received and look forward one day to being united with her and her Son, Jesus Christ.