"The Orthodox Church calls Mary all-holy, immaculate, free from actual sin. The Orthodox Church has never made any formal and definitive pronouncement on the matter of the Immaculate Conception. In the past, individual Orthodox theologians have made statements that, if not definitively affirming the Doctrine of Immaculate Conception, at any rate closely approach it. But since 1854, the great majority of Orthodox reject it as necessary; as implying a false understanding of original sin; as suspecting the doctrine because it seems to separate Mary from the rest of the descendants of Adam and Eve, putting her in a different class. However, if an individual Orthodox today felt impelled to believe it, he could not be termed a heretic for doing so."
This is a quote of Timothy Ware - Greek Orthodox Bishop Kallistos-, in The Orthodox Church, (1993, Penguin Press, pp. 259-260, italics by me).
As an answer to his argument I think that being "preserved pure from every stain of original sin in the first instance of her conception through a singular gift of grace" (from the definition of the dogma by Pius IX) does not separate Mary from us: on the contrary being without sin and original sin permits her to be more near to all of us. Is it not so that sin separates us from each other, while grace and love bring us into communion with each other? Is is not so that if we are more near to God we are able to love more? More saint one becomes, more near he/she will be to all his/her brothers and sisters, to all mankind. Hence, the communion of the saints and the concern of those already arrived in heaven toward us pilgrims still on the way. (Most beautiful expression of it is from St. Therese of Lisieux who wanted to spend her heaven doing good on earth.)
Being more near to God makes us more near to each other - otherwise Christ and God himself would be infinitely far from us. Instead, we believe that He is nearest to us in everything and abides in our hearts.
Of course, the eastern Orthodox reluctance toward the doctrine of Immaculate Conception is centered mainly on the difference in the understanding of original sin. In contrast with the Roman Catholic doctrine that sees in the original sin a tendency inherited by all mankind the Eastern Orthodox sees it as suffering of the consequences of the "first sin" of humanity.
Anyway, being freed of original sin does not take away the capability of the person to commit sin; if Mary is free from actual sin it is not just because of her being conceived without original sin but because she chose not to sin. She was free also to say yes or no to the request of God to become the mother of the Messiah. Being free from original sin from the moment of her conception did not take away from Mary the freedom to choose but made her more receptive for the initiavies of God - without the impedimnt of the weakness deriving from being part of humanity - and did not diminish her virtue in doing so. Rather, the concept of Immaculate Conception shows how Mary indeed collaborated fully, personally and consciously with her entire being with the Holy Spirit. So much that her collaboration became fecundity to bear a Son and so the Word could became flesh in her. For me, this is a powerful image and model of our openness to the action of the Holy Spirit that brings fruit accordance to the degree of freedom we give Him(Her) to heal, to inspire and to guide us.
Being free from original sin does not take away one's free will but increases the capacity to use it properly. For this reason we - and also the Eastern Orthodox Christians - do baptize infants who does not have yet personal sins.
Anyway, I find it interesting to meditate upon the different views of the person of Mary - and through it the different perspectives of our personal healing and growth toward God.
