Immaculate Conception is a very important feast, especially for us in the United States, since this is our national patronal feast.  But this Sunday is a perfect opportunity to realize that there is still a hierarchy in our Church celebrations—some simply are considered more important than others.

At the highest level are the celebrations of…wait for it…yes...Easter, the Triduum, and Christmas.  NO celebrations take precedence over these!  Next come the celebrations of the Sundays of Advent and Lent.  THEN come Solemnities, such as Immaculate Conception (that is what we are seeing this Monday), Nativity of Mary, All Saints, Assumption, etc.  Local and national conferences of bishops chose from a list of such Solemnities and raised certain ones to the level of Holy Days of Obligation, reflecting local culture and tradition.  Oh!  And then come the Sundays in Ordinary Time, Feasts, Memorials, Optional Memorials, and weekdays of Ordinary Time.  (It is all actually a little bit more complicated than this.)

In any case, this Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent, displaces the celebration of Immaculate Conception.  That celebration is moved to Monday, December 9.  Since it has been shifted, it also is not a Holy Day of Obligation; we will simply have one Mass that day at 12:15 PM (probably in the Worship Space).

OK!  Those are the rules!  But, of course, we must remember that all our obligations in connection with God are ultimately obligations of love.  “You shall love the Lord our God….”  Hopefully as our relationship with God gets stronger, we simply want to gather in thanksgiving around the Lord’s table.  Amen!