Posted on 12/16/2007 4:05:55 PM PST by NYer
God has a mother and she was chosen before the beginning of time.
This is an amazing belief, one that is sometimes mocked and often misunderstood, and misrepresented, sometimes even by Catholics. Yet this truth is at the heart of Advent and Christmas–as well as at the heart of the entire Christian Faith.
This belief is also captured in a short phrase in the Hail Mary: "Holy Mary, Mother of God." They are just five simple words, but words bursting with mystery and meaning. They tell us many things about Mary and about the Triune God and His loving plan of salvation for mankind, in which Mary has such a significant place.
Mary is holy. To be holy is to be set apart, to be pure, and to be filled with the life of God. The call to holiness, the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, is summarized in Jesus' words: "Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48; CCC 2013). Mary's holiness comes from the same source as the holiness that fills all who are baptized and are in a state of race. But Mary's relationship with the Triune God is unique, as Luke makes evident in his description of Gabriel appearing to Mary:
And the angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be called the Son of God" (Lk 1:35)
Possessing perfect faith, itself a gift from God, Mary was overshadowed by God the Father, anointed by the Holy Spirit, and filled by the Son. She was chosen by God to bear the God-man, the One in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell (CCC 484). Completely filled by God, she is completely holy. Chosen by God, she is saved. Called to share intimately and eternally in the life of her Son, she was, the Catechism explains, "redeemed from the moment of her conception" (CCC 49) and "preserved from the stain of original sin" (CCC 508).
The Pentateuch contains the account of how God chose a small, nondescript nomadic tribe, the Hebrews, to be His "holy people" for "His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth" (Deut 7:6). Many years later, in the fullness of time, God chose a young Jewish woman from a place of little consequence to be the Mother of God. This, in turn, would result in the birth of the Church, which Peter describes as a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession" (1 Pet 2:9).
Mary, faithful and holy, is chosen so that others can also be chosen and made holy, transformed by her Son into the sons and daughters of God and joined to the Body of Christ. Mary "is the Virgo fidelis, the faithful virgin, who was never anything but faithful," writes Fr. Jean Daniélou, "whose fidelity was the perfect answer to the fidelity of God; she was always entirely consecrated to the one true God."
It has been said many ways and in many places but bears repeating that "Mother of God" is the greatest and most sublime title that Mary can ever be given. It sums up all that she is, all that she does, and all that she desires. The title of Theotokos ("God-bearer", or "Mother of God"), far from being some late addition to Church teaching, is rooted in Scripture and the Advent story. The Catechism explains that Mary was "called in the Gospels 'the mother of Jesus'" and that she "is acclaimed by Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son, as 'the mother of my Lord'" (CCC 495).
Mary, the Mother of God, is also the first disciple of her Son, the God-man. She is also the New Eve, whose obedience and gift of her entire being overturns the sin and rebellion of the first Eve. Her Son is the New Adam, who comes to give everlasting, supernatural life and heal the mortal wound inflicted by the sin of the first Adam (cf. 1 Cor 15:45).
The lives and the love of the New Adam and the New Eve fill the season of Advent. Mary quietly and patiently calls all men to Bethlehem to see and worship the Christ Child. Jesus waits for mankind to recognize Him as Lord and Savior. But He doesn't just wait for us; He comes to us. But His coming awaits completion, both in our individual lives and in the life of the world. Which is why James, in today's epistle, writes, " Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. . . . . You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm,because the coming of the Lord is at hand" (Jas 5:7-10).
Fr. Daniélou explains beautifully this paradox of Advent, of Jesus having come already and yet coming still:
"We live always during Advent, we are always waiting for the Messiah to come. He has come, but is not yet fully manifest. He is not fully manifest in each of our souls; He is not fully manifest in mankind as a whole; that is to say, that just as Christ was born according to the flesh in Bethlehem of Judea so must He be born according to the spirit in each of our souls."
Although young, poor, and faced with incredible challenges, Mary waited patiently on the promises and the coming of her Lord and Son. The Catechism says that because Mary "gives us Jesus, her son, Mary is Mother of God and our mother; we can entrust all our cares and petitions to her: she prays for us as she prayed for herself: 'Let it be to me according to your word.' By entrusting ourselves to her prayer, we abandon ourselves to the will of God together with her: 'Thy will be done.'" (CCC 2677). That is indeed the perfect prayer, from the perfect woman and mother, for Advent: "Thy will be done."
God’s grace redeems the Virgin
The Church recently celebrated the great Feast of the Immaculate Conception, situated to draw Catholics more deeply into the mystery of God's grace, Mary's faith, and the plan of salvation. Although not formally defined as a doctrine of the Catholic Church until 1854 by Pope Pius IX, belief in Mary's sinlessness goes back to the earliest centuries of the Church and is rooted in Scripture, especially the first chapter of Luke's Gospel.
In the encyclical Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX formally stated the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception:
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin. [135 Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus (1854); CCC 491]
Although the Eastern Orthodox recognize and celebrate Mary's sinlessness, many Protestants do not. Some, in fact, take great offense with this belief, insisting that it makes light of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, and that it implies that Mary is more than a creature, perhaps even equal to her Son.
But the Church makes very clear that Mary's Immaculate Conception is a gift of God. After all, Mary was "redeemed from the moment of her conception," making it difficult for her redemption to be her own work. And Pope Pius IX's definition strongly states that the Immaculate Conception was "by a singular grace and privilege of Almighty God" and by the work and merits of Mary's Son. Sadly, some Christians not only reject this truth, they even resort of saying that Mary "not special" or "not worthy of praise"–even though Mary, inspired by the Holy Spirit, declared that "from this time on all generations will count me blessed" (Lk 1:48).
John Cardinal Newman once noted that Catholic beliefs about Jesus and His Mother are intimately connected and cannot be torn apart from one another. "Catholics who have honoured the Mother, still worship the Son," he wrote, "while Protestants, who now have ceased to confess the Son, began . . . by scoffing at the Mother." It is a cautionary statement that all Christians, including Catholics, should take to heart during the Advent season.
As much respect as I have for my Orthodox brethren, I have always wondered how they reconcile the belief in 'no original sin' with the following passage from St. Paul's letter to the Romans:
Rom 5:12 Therefore as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all men sinned--
Rom 5:13 sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.
Rom 5:14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sins were not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
Rom 5:15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift in the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
Rom 5:16 And the free gift is not like the effect of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brings justification.
Rom 5:17 If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
Rom 5:18 Then as one man's trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man's act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men.
Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man's obedience many will be made righteous.
Because the issue of the Immaculate Conception would be utterly irrelevant if there was no original sin...but the above quote is pretty persuasive regarding original sin. So how do you Orthodox types interpret the above passage without reference to original sin?
In haste because I’m off to the salt mine; more later. Everything you have quoted points to what the Greek Fathers called “The Sin of Adam” or “Ancestral Sin”, the consequences of which, the inability to resist sin and bondage to death, Christ, by his Incarnation, rescued us. The icon of the Resurrection graphically depicts this. Because of the Sin of Adam, human beings were unable to fulfill their created purpose which is to become like God. It has nothing to do with some inherent “genetic” state of sinfulness, far less with anything to do with “stains” or guilt for what Adam did and a God Who is so pissed off that He demanded the bloody death of His only Son to slake that wrath.
You are of course correct that the IC is meaningless without the idea of Original Sin as expressed by Augustine; in fact, many, maybe even most, of the theological differences between the East and West arise out of Augustine’s innovative theology and what others, especially the Schoolmen and the Reformers did with it.
The Church and Satan agreed together in this, that Son and Mother went together; and the experience of three centuries has confirmed their testimony, for Catholics who have honoured the Mother, still worship the Son, while Protestants, who now have ceased to confess the Son, began then by scoffing at the Mother.
Where do you get these ideas? There is NO scriptural support for you assertions. And you take away from the works of Christ by attributing any of these things to Mary.
“Isn’t there something like if it’s Greek, it’s orthodox.”
Yes, I seem top recall that as a basic principle of patristic theology! :)
“Fact is that the Greeks never understood the nature of the conflict between Pelagius and Augustine, heace what Augustine or the Latin Church meant by “Original Sin.””
Of course we understood it, though sadly not until it was far too late to do anything practical about it.
“Not understanding the history of the contraversy, the Greeks were fooled by Pelagius and his disciples, whose doctrine is more “Jewish” than many think.”
But you see, we thoroughly understood what Pelagius was saying as opposed to what others said he was saying. What we saw at the time was a tempest in a tea pot brought to a boil by the remnants of Blessed Augustine’s Manichianism.
“At the extreme, it requires no redeemer at all.”
That’s likely true. The teachings of Celestius pretty much say exactly that and are often, wrongly, attributed to Pelagius. Celestius was anathemized as a heretic in the East. So was Pelagius, but in truth that was because of the company he kept (Nestorius)more than because of his theology.
Easily answered (spoken by an angel to Mary herself):
"For nothing is impossible with God" ~ Luke 1:37
Or in the words of Jesus:
"....with God all things are possible." ~ Matthew 19:26
I don't really see a biblical problem with this anyway. As a previous post said - the Spirit of God is housed in the sinful flesh of every believer.
In Christ
marinamuffy
No sense in letting a little bible get in the way of religion...
Original Sin isn't transmitted at birth, it's transmitted at conception, when the soul is infused. If I understand correctly, you're saying that it's not possible for God to prevent this Original Sin from attaching to Mary at her conception?
then the entirety of Christianity is for nothing.
If God didn't have the power to save Mary prior to being conceived within her womb, then Christianity really is a charade.
Ummmm.... the Incarnation is not about God coming to us in Spirit, it's about God coming to us as the Word made flesh. If you see anyone walking around getting ready to give birth to God in the flesh, let me know. Otherwise, your analogy fails remarkably.
Interesting. I disagree. Can you prove me wrong?
You are a silly non-thinker if you actually haven;’t thought about the MOTHER of GOD having to be SINLESS! It ONLY makes sense....if not, He, the SAVIOR of the WORLD could have been born to Britney Spears or anyone else! Good grief....you are BLINDED by your dislike of the Catholic Church so much you cant see.
payin’....hmmmm..I think it’s PROTESTANTS who insist on their members TYHTHING....isn’t it???
Can I ask you a question? Why do you hate the Virgin Mary SO MUCH?
Do you really think Jesus is impressed by your insults of His Mother?
YIKERS@! What religion are you?
Holy Spirit.
All of the things attributed to Mary are the works of Christ.
Jesus is all I need.
I don't hate Mary at all...And she hasn't been a virgin for some time now...
Mary's not the problem...Your religion is...
Your church encourages people to refrain from praying to God but instead praying to the Mother of Jesus and dead people...
Your focus is not on God, it's on Mary...Look at any Catholic picture of Mary and Jesus and see who the focus is on...Jesus is always the little tiny guy in the painting and Mary is larger than life...
Mary has no role in the salvation of anyone...Beyond the book of Acts, she's never mentioned again in the scripture...
Paul was the apostle to the Gentile church, of which I am a member...Paul never gave Mary, your Queen of Heaven and Mother of God, an ounce of consideration...
There are two religions that venerate Mary...You guys and the muzzelims...
I have never insulted the Mother of Jesus...
The Queen of heaven (which Mary is not) is quite another story tho...I think no more of the Queen of heaven than God does...
Then it also makes sense then that God would have made his apostles sinless and educated...What good are a bunch of dumb, sinning fishermen going around being ambassadors to the God of creation??? Makes Jesus look sorta foolish doesn't it???
Maybe Jesus picked these unlikely people for this reason:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise;
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