Devotion to the immaculate conception of Mary did not become widespread until the eleventh century in England. It stirred theological debate — Thomas Aquinas and the Dominicans frowning on the devotion since it was not scriptural. Duns Scotus and the Franciscans spoke in favor of the devotion since it demonstrated the grace of God at work beyond the realm of time. The redemption Christ won for humanity did not have a “before and after” in this view but was part of the eternal now. Mary was conceived free from sin as part of the redemptive story which is not time-bound. St. Paul has a similar perspective when he thinks of our redemption. God has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. Not just Mary but all of us are “holy and without blemish” from the foundation of the world. Our sinfulness occurs in time but God’s grace in Christ transcends time and transfigures us in a way similar to that of Mary. And, like Mary, that means that each one of us is to bring Christ into the world by lives of love, mercy, faith, compassion, forgiveness, generosity.
