Thank you Lacy at Catholic Icing for another great free resource about the Catholic faith!  Here is an explanation by Lacy about her beautiful drawing on the Immaculate Conception:   

Symbolism in this picture includes Mary in the womb of St. Anne (wearing her signature veil). St. Anne and Mary both have their backs turned towards the apple tree to visually state that Mary was conceived without original sin. There are 3 beams of light coming down from the sun that stand for the trinity. Also, the snake (Satan) is unhappy about what has happened here.

On  Dec. 8, Catholics around the world celebrate another beautiful feast day, the Feast Day of the Immaculate Conception.  What does this mean?  Many Catholics and non-Catholics mistakenly think that this day celebrates when Mary miraculously conceived Jesus, however this feast day refers to Mary being conceived without original sin. 
There are so many great articles and resources to explain this doctrine.  One article I found, "Advent- The Immaculate Conception", does a beautiful job on how to explain such a teaching to young children.  I include the link to the article for myself to refer back to for my children, but if you have time to read it, I hope you too will be blessed by it in some way.

We went to the Vigil Mass at our church this evening to celebrate tomorrow's Immaculate Conception Feast Day.  Tomorrow I plan to let my children watch another great CCC movie titled, Bernadette-The Princess of Lourdes .   See below for an explanation from the CCC website about the graces this beautiful young girl received from God and our Blessed Mother in 1858...


BERNADETTE - THE PRINCESS OF LOURDES
It’s February 11, 1858. Three girls from Lourdes, France, gather firewood in front of a grotto. Suddenly one of them, Bernadette Soubirous, 14, drops to her knees, gazes ecstatically at something beautiful only she can see, and starts to pray. Soon the town buzzes: Has Bernadette, poor, sickly, and always behind in school, really seen a Lady from Heaven? The police chief is angry, the pastor busy, and the crowd amused, but Bernadette is calm and brave. Then a spring bubbles up from nowhere and withered arms and sightless eyes are cured. At last, the Lady tells Bernadette her name: “I am The Immaculate Conception.”
BERNADETTE, THE PRINCESS OF LOURDES, is the exciting true story of a visit by the Queen of Heaven that left all the world a source of health for body and soul.

Then on Thursday, Dec. 9, we will celebrate Saint Juan Diego's feast day by watching the CCC video, Juan Diego-Messenger of Guadalupe.   See below for a summary from CCC about this video and Juan Diego's true story.
JUAN DIEGO - MESSENGER OF GUADALUPE
In 1591 Juan Diego found himself between two worlds…that of the Spanish conquerors and that of his own Aztec heritage. Because of his love for his people and his strong faith, Juan Diego turned to Jesus and His Mother, Mary for help in uniting his people. The answer to Juan Diego’s prayers has become one of the greatest events in the history of the Americas.
JUAN DIEGO, MESSENGER OF GUADALUPE is the true story of how the Blessed Mother chose a hero for a key role in a beautiful miracle that would united diverse peoples and change the course of history.
In the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City the miracle of the tilma of Juan Diego may still be seen, just as it was seen by the bishop in 1531.

Lacy at Catholic Icing  has a great post on the feast day of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe here.  I love all the resources she has for this feast day!  (can you tell I am a BIG fan of  Lacy's site and CCC with all my links to them? )

I can't say enough good things about CCC and their saints and heroes 11 DVD collection and all their other resources!  My children watch these DVDs over and over again no matter what feast day it is!  If you hurry, you can receive FREE shipping on your order with CCC until Dec. 10 using this Coupon Code: CCC120810
Thanks again Lacy for the coupon code...I've already put my order in to complete my saints and heroes DVD collection!

 
I'll be posting about other beautiful feast days coming up soon and I'm thinking a link back to Lacy's site and CCC will be included :)
There are so many fun ways to celebrate our Catholic faith with my family and I give Joy to the World when I embrace my faith and share it with my family and friends!

I also give Joy to the World when I tell others about this great giveaway from Stories for the Homeschool Heart!
I posted about the book, Stories for the Homeschool Heart, on this blog post and I love this beautiful book! I'm actually rereading it now because each time I read it I gain new insight and encouragement!  Now just in time for Christmas, there is a contest going on by Stories for the Homeschool Heart through December 16, 2010! They will be adding as many prizes as they can find!  Click HERE for details about this great giveaway!