I.
CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
484
The Annunciation to Mary inaugurates "the fullness of time",119 ( Gal 4:4.) The
time of the fulfillment of God's promises and preparations. Mary was invited to
conceive him in whom the "whole fullness of deity" would dwell
"bodily".120 ( Col 2:9.) The divine response to her question, "How can this
be, since I know not a man?", was given by the power of the Spirit:
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you."121 (Lk 1:34-35 (Greek). )
485
The mission of the Holy Spirit is always conjoined and ordered to that of the
Son.122 (Cf. ⇒ Jn 16:14-15.) The Holy Spirit, "the Lord, the giver of Life", is sent to
sanctify the womb of the Virgin Mary and divinely fecundate it, causing her to
conceive the eternal Son of the Father in a humanity drawn from her own.
486
The Father's only Son, conceived as a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary, is
"Christ", that is to say, anointed by the Holy Spirit, from the
beginning of his human existence, though the manifestation of this fact takes
place only progressively: to the shepherds, to the magi, to John the Baptist,
to the disciples.123 (Cf. ⇒ Mt 1:20; ⇒ 2:1-⇒ 12; ⇒ Lk 1:35; ⇒ 2:8-20; ⇒ Jn 1:3 ⇒ 1-34; ⇒ 2:11. ) Thus the whole life of Jesus Christ will make manifest
"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with
power."124 ( Acts 10:38. )
II. BORN OF THE VIRGIN MARY
487
What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about
Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.
Mary's
predestination
488
"God sent forth his Son", but to prepare a body for him,125 (Gal 4:4; ⇒ Heb 10:5.) he wanted
the free co-operation of a creature. For this, from all eternity God chose for
the mother of his Son a daughter of Israel, a young Jewish woman of Nazareth in
Galilee, "a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house
of David; and the virgin's name was Mary":126 ( Lk 1:26-27. )
The
Father of mercies willed that the Incarnation should be preceded by assent on
the part of the predestined mother, so that just as a woman had a share in the
coming of death, so also should a woman contribute to the coming of life.127
489
Throughout the Old Covenant, the mission of many holy women prepared for that of
Mary. At the very beginning, there was Eve; despite her disobedience, she
receives the promise of a posterity that will be victorious over the evil one,
as well as the promise that she will be the mother of all the living.128 (Cf. ⇒ Gen 3:15, ⇒ 20. ) By
virtue of this promise, Sarah conceives a son in spite of her old age.129 (Cf. ⇒ Gen 18:10-14; ⇒ 21:1-2.) Against all human expectation, God chooses those who were considered powerless
and weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of
Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women.130 (I Cor 1:17; ⇒ I Sam 1. ) Mary
"stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who confidently hope
for and receive salvation from him. After a long period of waiting the times
are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the new plan of
salvation is established."131
The
Immaculate Conception
490
To become the mother of the Saviour, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts
appropriate to such a role."132 (LG 56. ) The angel Gabriel at the moment of the
annunciation salutes her as "full of grace".133 (Lk 1:28. ) In fact, in order for
Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her
vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace.
491
Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary,
"full of grace" through God,134 (Lk 1:28. ) was redeemed from the moment of her
conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as
Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854:
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
492
The "splendour of an entirely unique holiness" by which Mary is
"enriched from the first instant of her conception" comes wholly from
Christ: she is "redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the
merits of her Son".136 (LG 53, 56. ) The Father blessed Mary more than any other created
person "in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places" and chose her "in Christ before the foundation of the world,
to be holy and blameless before him in love".137
493
The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God "the
All-Holy" (Panagia), and celebrate her as "free from any stain of
sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new
creature".138 (LG 56. ) By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin
her whole life long.
"Let
it be done to me according to your word. . ."
494
At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most
High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded
with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God, nothing will be
impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done]
to me according to your word."139 (Lk 1:28-38; cf. ⇒ Rom 1:5.) Thus, giving her consent to God's word,
Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation
wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely
to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the
mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace:140 (Cf. LG 56. )
As
St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for
herself and for the whole human race."141 (St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 22, 4: PG 7/1, 959A. ) Hence not a few of the early
Fathers gladly assert. . .: "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by
Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary
loosened by her faith."142 ( St. Irenaeus, Adv. haeres. 3, 22, 4: PG 7/1, 959A. ) Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary "the
Mother of the living" and frequently claim: "Death through Eve, life
through Mary."143 (LC 56; St. Epiphanius, Panarion 2, 78, 18: PG 42, 728CD-729AB; St.Jerome, Ep. 22, 21: PL 22, 408. )
Mary's
divine motherhood
495
Called in the Gospels "the mother of Jesus", Mary is acclaimed by
Elizabeth, at the prompting of the Spirit and even before the birth of her son,
as "the mother of my Lord".144 (Lk 1:43; ⇒ Jn 2:1; ⇒ 19:25; cf. ⇒ Mt 13:55; et al. ) In fact, the One whom she conceived as
man by the Holy Spirit, who truly became her Son according to the flesh, was
none other than the Father's eternal Son, the second person of the Holy
Trinity. Hence the Church confesses that Mary is truly the "Mother of
God" (Theotokos).145 (Council of Ephesus (431): DS 251. )
Mary's
virginity
496
From the first formulations of her faith, the Church has confessed that Jesus
was conceived solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin
Mary, affirming also the corporeal aspect of this event: Jesus was conceived
"by the Holy Spirit without human seed".146 (Council of the Lateran (649): DS 503; cf. DS 10-64. ) The Fathers see in the
virginal conception the sign that it truly was the Son of God who came in a
humanity like our own. Thus St. Ignatius of Antioch at the beginning of the
second-century says:You
are firmly convinced about our Lord, who is truly of the race of David
according to the flesh, Son of God according to the will and power of God,
truly born of a virgin,. . . he was truly nailed to a tree for us in his flesh
under Pontius Pilate. . . he truly suffered, as he is also truly risen.147
⇒ Rom 1:3; ⇒ Jn 1:13 )
497
The Gospel accounts understand the virginal conception of Jesus as a divine
work that surpasses all human understanding and possibility:148 ( Mt 1 18-25; ⇒ Lk 1:26-38.) "That
which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit", said the angel to Joseph
about Mary his fiancee.149 (Mt 1:20. ) The Church sees here the fulfillment of the divine
promise given through the prophet Isaiah: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive
and bear a son."150
498
People are sometimes troubled by the silence of St. Mark's Gospel and the New
Testament Epistles about Jesus' virginal conception. Some might wonder if we
were merely dealing with legends or theological constructs not claiming to be
history. To this we must respond: Faith in the virginal conception of Jesus met
with the lively opposition, mockery or incomprehension of non-believers, Jews
and pagans alike;151 (Cf. St. Justin, Dial. 99, 7: PG 6, 708-709; Origen, Contra Celsum 1, 32, 69: PG 11, 720-721; et al. ) so it could hardly have been motivated by pagan mythology
or by some adaptation to the ideas of the age. the meaning of this event is
accessible only to faith, which understands in it the "connection of these
mysteries with one another"152 (Dei Filius 4: DS 3016. ) in the totality of Christ's mysteries, from
his Incarnation to his Passover. St. Ignatius of Antioch already bears witness
to this connection: "Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the
Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three
mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence."153 ( St. Ignatius of Antioch, Ad Eph. 19, 1: AF 11/2 76-80: cf. I Cor 2:8.)
Mary
- "ever-virgin"
499
The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the Church to confess
Mary's real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the Son
of God made man.154 (Cf. DS 291; 294; 427; 442; 503; 571; 1880.) In fact, Christ's birth "did not diminish his mother's
virginal integrity but sanctified it."155 (LG 57. ) and so the liturgy of the Church
celebrates Mary as Aeiparthenos, the "Ever-virgin".156
500
Against this doctrine, the objection is sometimes raised that the Bible mentions
brothers and sisters of Jesus.157 ( Cf. ⇒ Mk 3:31-35; ⇒ 6:3; ⇒ I Cor 9:5; ⇒ Gal 1:19.) The Church has always understood these
passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary. In fact, James
and Joseph, "brothers of Jesus", are the sons of another Mary, a
disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls "the other
Mary".158 ( Mt 13:55; ⇒ 28:1; cf. ⇒ Mt 27:56.) They are close relations of Jesus, according to an Old Testament
expression.159 ( Cf. ⇒ Gen 13:8; ⇒ 14:16; ⇒ 29:15; etc.)
501
Jesus is Mary's only son, but her spiritual motherhood extends to all men whom
indeed he came to save: "The Son whom she brought forth is he whom God
placed as the first-born among many brethren, that is, the faithful in whose
generation and formation she co-operates with a mother's love."160
Mary's
virginal motherhood in God's plan
502
The eyes of faith can discover in the context of the whole of Revelation the
mysterious reasons why God in his saving plan wanted his Son to be born of a
virgin. These reasons touch both on the person of Christ and his redemptive
mission, and on the welcome Mary gave that mission on behalf of all men.
503
Mary's virginity manifests God's absolute initiative in the Incarnation. Jesus
has only God as Father. "He was never estranged from the Father because of
the human nature which he assumed. . . He is naturally Son of the Father as to
his divinity and naturally son of his mother as to his humanity, but properly
Son of the Father in both natures."161
504
Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary's womb because he is
the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation: "The first man was from
the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven."162 ( I Cor 15:45, ⇒ 47.) From his
conception, Christ's humanity is filled with the Holy Spirit, for God
"gives him the Spirit without measure."163 ( Jn 3:34.) From "his
fullness" as the head of redeemed humanity "we have all received, grace
upon grace."164 ( Jn 1:16; cf. ⇒ Col 1:18.)
505
By his virginal conception, Jesus, the New Adam, ushers in the new birth of
children adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith. "How can this
be?"165 ( Lk 1:34; cf. ⇒ Jn 3:9[ETML:C/].) Participation in the divine life arises "not of blood nor of
the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God".166 ( Jn 1:13.) The
acceptance of this life is virginal because it is entirely the Spirit's gift to
man. the spousal character of the human vocation in relation to God 167 ( Cf. ⇒ 2 Cor 11:2.) is
fulfilled perfectly in Mary's virginal motherhood.
506
Mary is a virgin because her virginity is the sign of her faith
"unadulterated by any doubt", and of her undivided gift of herself to
God's will.168 ( LG 63; cf. l Cor 7:34-35.) It is her faith that enables her to become the mother of the
Saviour: "Mary is more blessed because she embraces faith in Christ than
because she conceives the flesh of Christ."169 ( St. Augustine, De virg. 3: PL 40, 398.)
507
At once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization
of the Church: "the Church indeed. . . by receiving the word of God in
faith becomes herself a mother. By preaching and Baptism, she brings forth sons,
who are conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of God, to a new and immortal
life. She herself is a virgin, who keeps in its entirety and purity the faith
she pledged to her spouse."170
IN
BRIEF
508
From among the descendants of Eve, God chose the Virgin Mary to be the mother
of his Son. "Full of grace", Mary is "the most excellent fruit
of redemption" (SC 103): from the first instant of her conception, she was
totally preserved from the stain of original sin and she remained pure from all
personal sin throughout her life.
509
Mary is truly the "Mother of God" since she is the mother of the eternal
Son of God made man, who is God himself.
510
Mary "remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, a virgin in giving birth to
him, a virgin in carrying him, a virgin in nursing him at her breast, always a
virgin" (St. Augustine, Serm. 186, 1: PL 38, 999): with her whole being
she is "the handmaid of the Lord" (⇒ Lk 1:38).
511
The Virgin Mary "co-operated through free faith and obedience in human
salvation" (LG 56). She uttered her yes "in the name of all human
nature" (St. Thomas Aquinas, S Th III, 30, 1). By her obedience she became
the new Eve, mother of the living.
GO TO:
ARTICLE 3
PARAGRAPH 1. THE SON OF GOD BECAME MAN
PARAGRAPH 2. CONCEIVED BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
PARAGRAPH 3. MYSTERIES OF CHRIST'S LIFE
GO TO:
CHAPTER TWO
ARTICLE 4 "JESUS CHRIST SUFFERED UNDER PONTIUS PILATE, WAS CRUCIFIED, DIED AND WAS BURIED"
ARTICLE 5 "HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"
ARTICLE 5 "HE DESCENDED INTO HELL. ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN"
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