The Blessed Virgin in the History of Christianity [Ecumenical]

Insight Scoop ^ | January 1, 2009 | John A. Hardon, S.J.

[NYer]

Christianity would be meaningless without the Blessed Virgin. Her quiet presence opened Christian history at the Incarnation and will continue to pervade the Church's history until the end of time.

Our purpose in this meditation is to glance over the past two thousand years to answer one question: What are the highlights of our Marian faith as found in the Bible and the teaching of the Catholic Church?

New Testament

The first three evangelists were mainly concerned with tracing Christ's ancestry as Son of Man and, therefore, as Son of Mary. St. Matthew, writing for the Jews, stressed Christ's descent from Abraham. St. Luke, disciple of St. Paul, traced Christ's origin to Adam, the father of the human race. Yet both writers were at pains to point out that Mary's Son fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah. He was to be born of a virgin to become Emmanuel, which means "God with us." Luke gave a long account of the angel's visit to Mary to announce that the Child would be holy and would be called the "Son of God" (Luke 1:36).

St. John followed the same pattern. He introduced Mary as the Mother of Jesus when He began His public ministry. In answer to her wishes, Christ performed the miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana in Galilee. What happened then has continued ever since. Most of the miraculous shrines of Christianity have been dedicated to Our Lady.

It is also St. John who tells us that Mary stood under the Cross of Calvary as her Son was dying for our salvation. Speaking of John, Jesus told His Mother, "This is your son." To John, He said of Mary, "This is your Mother." The apostle John represented all of us. On Good Friday, therefore, Christ made His Mother the supernatural Mother of the human race and made us her spiritual children.

Mother of God

In the early fifth century, a controversy arose in Asia Minor, where the Bishop of Constantinople claimed that Mary was only the Mother of Christ (Greek=Christotokos). He was condemned by the Council of Ephesus in 431, which declared that "the holy Virgin is the Mother of God (Greek=Theotokos).

St. Cyril, Bishop of Alexandria in Egypt, was mainly responsible for this solemn definition of Mary's divine maternity. It was St. Cyril who thus composed the most famous Marian hymn of antiquity. It is a praise of Our Lady as Mediatrix with God:

Through you, the Trinity is glorified.
Through you, the Cross is venerated throughout the world.
Through you, angels and archangels rejoice.
Through you, the demons are driven away.
Through you, the fallen creature is raised to heaven.
Through you, the churches are founded in the whole orld.
Through you, people are led to conversion.

Every other title of Mary and all the Marian devotion of the faithful are finally based on the Blessed Virgin's primary claim to our extraordinary love. She is the Mother of God. She gave her Son all that every human mother gives the child she conceives and gives birth to. She gave Him His human body. Without her, there would have been no Incarnation, no Redemption, no Eucharist; in a word, no Christianity.

Mary's Virginity

Logically related to her divine maternity is Our Lady's perpetual virginity. From the earliest days the Church has taught that Mary was a virgin before giving birth to Jesus, in giving His birth, and after His birth in Bethlehem.

All of this is already stated or implied in the Gospels. In St. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus, all the previous ancestors are called "father." But then we are told there came "Joseph, the husband of Mary of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Christ" (Matthew 1:16). St. Luke twice identifies Mary as "virgin," who "knows not man."

Already in the early Church, those who questioned Christ's divinity were the same ones who denied His Mother's virginity. As explained by St. Augustine, "When God vouchsafed to become Man, it was fitting that He should be born in this way. He who was made of her, had made her what she was: a virgin who conceives, a virgin who gives birth; a virgin with child, a virgin labored of child-a virgin ever virgin."

Given the fact of the Incarnation, its manner follows as a matter of course. Why should not the Almighty who created His Mother have also preserved the body of which He would be born? But this appropriateness of Mary's virginity makes sense only if you believe that Mary's Son is the living God.

Immaculate Conception

Mary's freedom from sin, present at her conception, is already taught by St. Ephraem in the fourth century. In one of his hymns, he addresses Our Lord, "Certainly you alone and your Mother are from every aspect completely beautiful. There is no blemish in you my Lord, and no stain in your Mother."

By the seventh century, the feast of Mary's Immaculate Conception was celebrated in the East. In the eight century, the feast was commemorated in Ireland, and from there spread to other countries in Europe.

In the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, some leading theologians, even saints, raised objections to the Immaculate Conception. Their main difficulty was how Mary could be exempt from all sin before the coming of Christ. Here the Franciscan Blessed John Duns Scotus (1266-1308) stood firm and paved the way for the definition of the Immaculate Conception by Pope Blessed Pius IX in 1854.

In the words of Pope Blessed Pius IX, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception . . . was preserved from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."

Four years after the definition, Our Lady appeared to St. Bernadette in Lourdes, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception. The numerous miracles at Lourdes are a divine confirmation of the doctrine defined by Pius IX. They are also a confirmation of the papal primacy defined by the First Vatican Council under the same Bishop of Rome.

Assumption into Heaven

Not unlike his predecessor, Pope Pius XII defined Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven. On November 1, 1950, the pope responded to the all but unanimous request of the Catholic hierarchy by making a formal definition:

By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare and define as divinely revealed dogma: the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever Virgin, after her life on earth, was assumed body and soul to the glory of heaven.

The day after the definition, Pius XII told the assembled hundreds of bishops his hope for the future: May this new honor given to Mary introduce "a spirit of penance to replace the prevalent love of pleasure and a renewal of family life stabilized where divorce was common and made fruitful where birth control was practiced." If there is one feature that characterizes the modern world, observed the Pope, it is the worship of the body. Mary's bodily Assumption into heaven reminds us of our own bodily resurrection on the last day, provided we use our bodies on earth according to the will of God.

Mother of the Church

Never in the history of Christianity has any general council spoken at such length and with such depth about Mary as the Second Vatican Council.
This is not surprising in view of the extraordinary devotion to the Blessed Virgin in our day. What the Council did was put this devotion into focus and spell out its doctrinal foundation.

First a quiet admonition. The council "charges that practices and exercises of devotion to her be treasured as recommended by the teaching authority of the Church in the course of centuries." True Marian piety consists neither in fruitless and passing emotion, nor in a certain empty credulity.

Rather authentic devotion to Mary "proceeds from true faith by which we are led to know the excellence of the Mother of God, and are moved to filial love toward our Mother and to the invitation of her virtues" (Constitution on the Church, 67-8).
What are we being told? We are told that true devotion to Our Lady is shown in a deep love of her as our Mother, put into practice by the imitation of her virtues-especially her faith, her chastity and charity.

These are the three virtues that the modern world most desperately needs.

• Like Mary, we need to believe that everything which God has revealed to us will be fulfilled.
• Like Mary, we need to use our bodily powers to serve their divine purpose no matter what the sacrifice of our own pleasure.
• Like Mary, we are to be always sensitive to the needs of others. Like her, we are to respond to these needs without being asked and, like her, even ask Jesus to work a miracle to benefit those whom we love.

No wonder the Catechism of the Catholic Church makes this astounding profession of faith: "We believe that the most holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven her maternal role toward the members of Christ." It all depends on our faith in her maternal care and our trust in her influence over the almighty hand of her Son.

[Salvation]

I’m disappointed that you do not believe in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ as announced at the Annunciation to Mary by the Angel Gabriel as related in the Gospel of Luke.

Her “Yes” gave us Jesus at that moment, even though she did not probably fully comprehend what was happening.

Her yes — “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.”

It’s all right there in the Bible.

[AnAmericanMother]

That sounds like a clear case of Baptism by Desire, even if he was not baptised by a priest. I would leave that in the hands of God.

You know there are many, many stories of the Blessed Virgin going about the world visiting the desperately ill, and in many cases converting them on their deathbeds.

Archbishop Fulton Sheen told one such story, he had been visiting (or trying to visit) a hardened sinner in the hospital and trying to get him to accept Christ and be saved, but was unsuccessful until the Virgin Mary intervened. And Roy Schoeman, a Jewish convert, met her as part of his conversion experience.

And I have heard that she visits the Poor Souls in Purgatory and comforts them. She is a great lady, and I'm glad she's there for us.

[RobbyS]

By bearing him, Mary gave Jesus his flesh. Or are you denying that he was truly man, born of woman? Raising him, she raised a son of Israel and her redeemer. Do you think she contributed nothing to his education, he who was subject to her and Joseph? If one believes Luke, her womb became the judgement seat, for the spirit of the Lord overshadowed her.

[Always Right]

I’m disappointed that you do not believe in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ

I made no such statement. However, this article borders on putting Mary above God.

[NYer]

Two days before he died, in a moment of lucidity, he asked my wife, “Did you see that Mary is here?” Since they were alone, my wife questioned him, "No, What Mary are you talking about?”

“You know,” he replied, “The Virgin Mary, the one with the baby Jesus.”

Through you, people are led to conversion.

Icons of the Blessed Mother always show her holding the Christ Child with her hand pointing to Him. The two together, form one image. She leads all men to her Son.

Thank you! for posting that beautiful story.

[NYer]

By whom?

[Salvation]

Yes, I would agree with you on the Baptism by Desire.

[Salvation]

Let us celebrate the motherhood of the Virgin Mary, and let us worship Christ the Lord, her Son.

[Always Right]

By bearing him, Mary gave Jesus his flesh.

True.

Or are you denying that he was truly man, born of woman?

No one is saying that.

Raising him, she raised a son of Israel and her redeemer.

yes.

Do you think she contributed nothing to his education, he who was subject to her and Joseph?

Joseph contributed to his raising too, but why not write articles about him.

If one believes Luke, her womb became the judgement seat, for the spirit of the Lord overshadowed her.

So. no one is saying Mary was not an important figure. there is just nothing scriptually that supports the elevation of Mary into the role the Catholic church gives her.

[vladimir998]

You wrote:

“Considering there was so much prophesy about the Messiah way before Mary, that is an odd claim to make.”

In Genesis 3:15 both Jesus and Mary were foretold. Naturally there are many more prophecies about Christ since He is all important, but that doesn’t mean Mary has no importance at all.

[the invisib1e hand]

God isn't dependant upon any single human being.

You're right. What baby is dependent upon his mother?

[Always Right]

By whom?

Whomever God chose. You think God sits around and thanks God that Moses came along? Moses was a vessle. There is no reason to think God could not have found someone else to help take the Jews to the promise land.

[big'ol_freeper]

Her “Yes” gave us Jesus at that moment, even though she did not probably fully comprehend what was happening.

Mary had free will just as we all do and by her "yes" she is the first Christian by virtue of her surrendering herself to Him. Somehow I do not believe that it was part of God's plan to shop around His "script" like a Hollywood producer. Her "yes" was critical to the salvation of mankind but by no means guaranteed...anymore than the angels who rebelled against God in Heaven were guaranteed to say "yes" to God.

[AnAmericanMother]

Mary is not above God, because it is God who raised her to her noble estate.

God humbled Himself to be born of a human being, and so humbled Himself that when the Angel Gabriel announced God's will to the Virgin, she still had the option of saying, "No." That is the free will that makes us sons not slaves, as St. Paul's letter in the lectionary today makes clear.

So while Mary is a very great lady, the pattern of a Christian, the Mother of God, conceived without sin, it is the will of God that puts her in that high place. But without Mary's free cooperation in saying, "Fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum" - "Let it be done to me according to thy word" - the Incarnation would not have occurred. But that also is God's will.

Makes you dizzy, but praise God for His great mercy!

[JOLLYDODGER]

God is full of Grace, slow to anger, and anxious for all to come to his Mansion.

I guess I left out a small detail, he had confessed Christ to a Minister, while in the hospital sometime in 2002. But it did concern us all, because, other than a more docile, humble spirit, his life had shown little evidence of contrition. My sister in Law, married into a Catholic family, but I would characterize their devotion as tepid, not fervent. Her two sons are much more reverent.
This blessed event is changing hearts. Revival is breaking out, in spite of the flesh.

[vladimir998]

That looks like a Botticelli. Man oh man, could he ever paint beautiful scenes.

[AnAmericanMother]

Fortunately for us, God is slow to anger and of great kindness, and patient — very patient. As one of Angela Thirkell’s nicest characters, Father Fewling, said, “He can afford to wait, on and off, for years and years.”

[big'ol_freeper]

Your story has moved my heart dear FRiend.

[Always Right]

You're right. What baby is dependent upon his mother?

Catholic teaching is absurd. Catholics have somehow made Mary the mother of the Creator. Mary was a vessle chosen for the manifestation of God in the flesh. Mary is the Mother of Jesus the son, not God the father. Of course you will drag out the canard that I am denying Jesus is God, which I am not.

[AnAmericanMother]

It IS Botticelli - the Virgin of the Magnificat. No-one else can match that sweetness and delicate grace in portraying the Virgin.

The Virgin of the Pomegranate.