On December 8 the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the truth that Mary was preserved free from original sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, Saint Anne. This dogma was solemnly defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 in the document Ineffabilis Dei, and the feast is a holy day of obligation in many countries, including the United States, where Mary Immaculate is the patroness.
Mary shows us what a heart wholly open to God looks like: her 'yes' at the Annunciation was total, trusting, and unafraid, even when the road ahead held sorrow she could not yet see. For a grieving family, she is a mother who stood at the foot of the cross and understands the ache of losing a child, and she gently keeps pointing us toward hope in her Son.
O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee; hold Ben close to your Immaculate Heart, and mother us in our sorrow until we are all together again with Jesus. Amen.