he doctrine about the Virgin Mary,

 

Quest: 21. The doctrine about the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and of the Church according to the teaching of Vatican II (LG VIII) and the more recent documents of the Magisterium.

 

Introduction: In the lives of the Christian people Mary's place is above all. People all over the world respect her very much. In the matter of reverence her place is just after Jesus Christ her Son. People call her by different names, as such, mother Mary, mother of the church, Immaculate Mary, etc. There are some doctrine of Mary which were discussed in the different councils to show our devotions. The council of Vatican II gave reverence to Mary as the mother of God and her role in the salvation history and in the church.    

 

·         The Marian doctrine in the light of the Vat. II (Church's Documents):

 

The Role of Mary in the life of the Church: Mary, the Mother of Jesus and our mother has been known and loved by Christians through the ages. An anonymous monk of the 8^th century, in a commentary on the Book of Revelation, concluded that Mary was both “daughter and mother of the church”. Mother of the Head, would she not also be mother of the entire Body? And Jesus, from the height of the Cross, did entrust to her, in the person of Saint John, the whole people for which He gave His life. We proclaim the Most Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church, i.e., of the whole people of God, faithful and pastors, and we call her most loving Mother. In the Lumen Gentium chapter 8 we see that Pope Paul VI announces, "We proclaim Mary most holy Mother of the Church, i.e. of all the people of God, faithful and shepherds alike, who name her Mother most loving." Pope Paul VI promulgated the title 'Mary, mother of the church' at the end of the third session of the second Vatican Council, in November 1964. Pope Paul VI declared 'Mary the mother of the church; He stated it thus: For the glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for our own consolation, we declare Mary to be the most holy mother of the church. Pope Paul VI reiterated this proclamation less than three years later, May 13, 1967, in his Apostolic Exhortation The Great Sign: "we wish to call the attention of all the faithful once again to the close connection between Mary's spiritual Motherhood- so well elucidated in the dogmatic Constitution on the church.... This consoling truth, by free will of the supremely wise God, is an integral part of the mystery of human salvation. That is why it ought to be an object of faith for all Christians." In the Encyclical Redeemer of the Human Race (Redemptor Hominis) of March 4, 1979, John Paul II, even as did the council, dwells on the Church-Mary relation. He raised the question: "What does it mean to say that the church is a mother and also what does it mean to say that the church herself always, and particularly in our time, has need of a mother?" He finds the answer most suitably in the Council: "We owe a debt of gratitude to the fathers of the Second Vatican Council, who expressed this truth in the Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) with its rich Mariological doctrine. Paul VI, inspired by that teaching, proclaimed the Mother of Christ 'Mother of the Church' and this title has become known far and wide."

Here in this chapter we also see that Mary as in the divine plan of human salvation (nos. 52-54). As the title indicates, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, is inscribed in the Mystery of Christ and the church. Scripture and tradition, especially patristic define the role of Mary in the economy of salvation. Mary is the prefigured in the preparation of Christ's coming (no.55). She begins the New Testament, at the Annunciation, where her faith, her Immaculate Conception, her Divine Motherhood move into focus (no, 56). Mary is close associate in the work of salvation throughout the life of the Saviour, her Son: Mother at Nazareth, Disciple from Can to the Cross itself, where Jesus dying gives her as Mother to John (nos. 57-59). Her mediation does not obscure or detract from that of the one mediator (nos. 60-62). As the model of the church, her prayer is exemplary for ours (nos. 63-65).  

 

Marian doctrine of the church: There are some doctrines of the church regarding the most Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. We are going to discuss about these in below:  

 

The doctrine about the Virgin Mary

 

Meaning of Virginity: “The word ‘virgin’ comes via Old French ‘virgine’ from the root form of Latin ‘virgo’, genitive ‘virginis’, meaning literally ‘maiden’ or ‘virgin’- a sexually intact young woman or ‘sexually inexperienced woman’. The first known use of virgin in English is found in a Middle English manuscript held at Trinity College, Cambridge of about 1200.” “The word ‘virginity’ comes from Latin word ‘virginitatem’ means ‘maidenhood’ or ‘innocence’. So, ‘virginity’ means ‘a state of purity or inexperience’. Traditionally a virgin is a person that has not had sexual intercourse. The Magisterium of the Church sees the core of virginity in the total adherence of God: This is the primary meaning of virginity, to strive only for the divine and to turn mind and soul to it; to desire to please God in all things, to be intent on him, to consecrate to him fully body and soul.”

 

Virginity of Mary: In calling Mary "ever virgin", tradition is saying that after conceiving Jesus in virginity Mary always remained a virgin, abstaining from all conjugal relations. This also implies that the birth of Jesus left intact the virginity of his Mother.

“Motherhood and virginity are inseparable in Mary. From the Apostles’ Creed onwards the Church confesses her faith in Jesus Christ “born of the Virgin Mary.” It is a Marian doctrine, taught by the Catholic Church and held by a number of groups in Christianity, which asserts that Mary (the mother of Jesus) was “always a virgin, before, during and after the birth of Jesus Christ.” “Mary’s virginity has not been proved in a scientific way. She was not made the object of a report by midwives or by a panel of medical experts set up by the Jewish authorities, as the apocryphal gospels would have us believe. Mary’s virginity is attested to us by the biblical texts which, with the Church, we have to read in the light of its tradition, as expressed in the professions faith.”

 

Biblical Background: In the New Testament by analyzing the Gospel texts on Mary, we should try to understand Mary’s role in the salvation history. In the Gospels, the focus of attention of the evangelists is not Mary, but Jesus Christ who brought about salvation. However, the image of Mary shines out as a moon behind that Jesus, the bright sun. The entire Gospel writer spoke about Mary’s Virginity.

 

a) Matthew: In the Gospel of Matthew we see that the virginal Conception of Blessed Virgin Mary. Mary’s pregnancy, which was not by Joseph, was through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, who was a just man, wanted to divorce Mary because of the suspected adultery. The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream to change the course of his action. There are two important points in the angelic message: the first concern was the origin of Mary’s pregnancy, i.e., the child begotten in her is through the Holy Spirit, and the second concern was Joseph’s duty toward the mother and the child. Joseph carried out the angel’s command so exactly that Mary who had conceived as virgin remained a virgin till she bore Jesus. God causes Mary to conceive the Messiah himself who is the Son of David, but through the conception by the Holy Spirit, the Messiah is Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’. The child conceived in Mary’s womb is the Son of God (Mt. 2:15). Then, it might be said that, Mary plays a role in God’s plan of saving His people, and indeed she was for seen as the one who would give birth to Emmanuel.”

b) Luke: “The first reference to Mary in Luke is the annunciation. The angel Gabriel is sent to Mary, “To a Virgin betrothed to a man of the house of David, whose name was Joseph, and the Virgin’s name was Mary (Lk. 1: 26-27).” The angel’s annunciation is mostly concerned about the greatness of Jesus and its primary emphasis is Christological. This Christological concern is the key emphasis even though there has been more Marian reflection based on this scene than on any other in the New Testament. The angel’s annunciation to Mary has close similarities to the preceding narrative of the same angel’s (Lk. 1:19) annunciation to Zacharia (Lk1:11-25). The following schema is important for an evaluation on how Mary reacts when the angel appears before her to announce the message about God’s plan to be fulfilled by her giving birth to a son, who of course would be the Son of God.” The virginal conception and birth are both works of the Holy Spirit, they form a whole. Luke and Matthew both of them agree on the virginal origin of Jesus from Mary. In both accounts the virginal conception points at the origin of the Messiah from God.

 

Now I would like to answer this question in very meaningful way or presenting how Mary as Virgin before the birth of Christ, at His birth and after His birth in below-

 

Presenting Mary as Virgin: 

a) Virgin Before the Birth of Jesus: At the annunciation, when the angel has just said to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb (Lk. 1:31), she asks, “How can this be, since I am a virgin? (Lk. 1:34).” St. Augustine and numerous Fathers interpreted this saying as a formal vow of virginity. Even now, some theologians accept that at this moment Mary is expressing her will to remain a virgin. But literally, Mary says: How can that be since I do not know a man? In this context, “know” can have the biblical a sense of having sexual intercourse. Mary, who is betrothed to Joseph, is still a virgin. She has not had sexual intercourse with Joseph. It means that “She is Virgin.

 

 b) Virgin in Giving Birth of Jesus: “The constitution of Paul IV, ‘Cum Quorundam’ stated that ‘Mary remained an intact virgin before, during and perpetually after giving birth.’ Here Paul IV’s text only expresses the fact of the persistence of the physical virginity of Mary in the act of giving birth, without explaining it physiologically. In general, the Fathers and scholastic theologians understood this as the absence of any lesion and taught that Mary gave birth to Jesus in a miraculous way, without any wound and consequently without pain.” Mary conceived her son without the intervention of a human father; her pregnancy was not the result to sexual intercourse with Joseph. It is to say that this is a mystery which cannot be explained by a scientific approach. In its turn, the Niceno-Constantinopolitan creed of 381 affirms that “By the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary and was made man”. Mary’s virginity is firmly recalled by Vatican II: ‘In the mystery of the Church ..... the Blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother. Through her faith and obedience she gave birth on earth to the very Son of the Father, not through the knowledge of man but by the over-shadowing of the Holy Spirit’ (LG, 63). So at the moment of giving birth Mary welcomed her child, not as the fruit of sexual relations with Joseph, but as the pure free gift of the Father. She welcomed him by offering herself to him in an act of virginal dedication. By his birth, Jesus himself consecrated the virgin womb of his mother. He consecrated the virginity of Mary by making her motherhood a virgin motherhood. Mary’s virginity is sanctified by Jesus who comes forth from his mother’s womb.  

 

c) Virgin after Child Birth of Jesus: In the Catholic traditions, the virginity of Mary after the birth of Jesus means that Jesus had no brothers and sisters. This virginity after child birth is not explicitly affirmed by the texts of the Gospels. But we can see in the Second Vatican Council, which states that the first-born Son of Mary “did not diminish his Mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it” (LG, n. 57). As regards her virginity after the birth, it must first of all be pointed out that there are no reasons for thinking that the will to remain a virgin, which Mary expressed at the moment of the Annunciation (Lk 1:34). Moreover, the immediate meaning of the words: “Woman, behold, your son!”, “Behold, your mother” (Jn 19:26), which Jesus addressed to Mary and to his favorite disciple from the Cross, imply that Mary had no other children.

Although never explicated in detail, the Catholic Church holds as dogma that Mary was and is Virgin before, in and after Christ’s birth. The dogma of Mary’s perpetual virginity is not merely a reference to a historical fact. This historical fact has a deeper meaning, a spiritual dimension. It speaks of the radical character of her God-relatedness. The life of Mary exists only for, in and through God.

 

Teaching of the Church Fathers:

 

Ignatius of Antioch (+ c. A.D. 110): “Ignatius of Antioch, one of the apostolic Fathers, the third bishop of Antioch, is the first witness to the inclusion of Mariological doctrine in the Church’s dogmatic heritage. He said Mary conceived our God, Jesus Christ by the power of Holy Spirit, in accord with God’s plan. Mary is presented as mother of Christ according to his human nature, as the heavenly Father is Jesus’ Father according to his Divine nature. The virginity of Mary, her giving birth, and also the death of the Lord, were hidden from the prince of this world: three mysteries loudly proclaimed.” “Against the heresy of Docetism (which denied the reality of the incarnation), Ignatius said that Mary truly engendered the flesh of Christ. She really carried him in her virginal womb, and his birth was the wondrous result of the Holy Spirit’s direct action in her and it is according to God’s plan.”

 

St. Justine Martyr (+c. 165): “For Justine, the teaching on the economy of salvation is located within the exposition of the doctrine of the virginal birth of Jesus. Jesus was born of a Virgin Mary, and one cannot say that Jesus came into the world in the same way as all other men. He became incarnated by an exercise of God’s power. God’s power entered into Mary, rendering her a mother without taking away her virginity.”

 

Origen (+c.253): “Origen, with the Alexandria school, simply calls Mary ‘Theotokos’, ‘God bearing’. He considers virginity to be the most mysterious and marvelous aspect of Mary’s motherhood. He clearly notes that the birth of Christ represents a completely different case from that of all other human beings. Origen is convinced that the virginal conception of Jesus was not a sort of privilege for His Mother, but rather, a service. She bowed to the mystery of the Word made flesh.”

Gregory of Nazianzen (+c.390): “Gregory of Nazianzen, another Cappadocian Father, was the first author to propose the title “Theotokos” as criterion of Orthodoxy. He discerns a wondrous exchange between God and Mary in the mystery of the Incarnation. Because Mary offered to God the gift of her undiminished virginity, the Lord empowered her human abilities to make her worthy of the unique event of the Incarnation. The Virgin Mother was willed by God to bring about the salvation of the human race from evil and from the devil’s oppression.”

Ambrose of Milan (+c.397): “Ambrose highly admired the virginal life of Mary is consecration to God. We see explicit reference to Mary’s virginity in childbirth: “Since Christ was born from the womb of the Virgin, nevertheless he preserved the enclosure of her sexual chastity and the untouched seal of her virginity.” And, “Behold the miracle of Our Lord’s Mother. She conceived, a Virgin; she brought forth, a Virgin. A Virgin was she when she conceived, a Virgin when pregnant, a Virgin after childbirth: as it is says in Ezekiel: And the gate was shut, and it was not opened for the Lord passed through it.”

Augustine of Hippo (+c.430): “Augustine said that a virgin could have no other son than God and God could have as mother only a Virgin. The Blessed Virgin was a Virgin, before the birth of Christ, at His birth and after His birth. He observed that the Blessed Virgin in relation to the mystery of her Son and to the Church.”

 

Teaching of the Councils  

 “From the earliest creeds onwards, the Church confesses that Jesus is born of the Virgin Mary. As virginity comprises her entire being and marks every stage in her life in its union with God, she is called “ever virgin” already in the 2^nd Council of Constantinople (553). This is soon explicated more precisely as follows:

i)   The conception of Jesus “without human seed, from the Holy Spirit” (virginity before Jesus’s birth),

ii)   She “gave birth to him without corruption” (virginity in the birth),

iii) “Her virginity remained equally inviolate after the birth” (virginity after the birth).

These three aspects of Mary’s perpetual virginity must be considered distinctly as both the biblical basis and the tradition of the Church are different in each case.”

 

Council of Ephesus (431): The title ‘Theotokos’ ‘Godbearer’ in Greek, was given to Mary at the council of Ephesus, the third ecumenical council of the Church. The theme of Mary’s divine motherhood runs through the church’s earliest councils- Constantinople I (381), Ephesus, and Chalcedon. The word ‘Theotokos’ consists of two elements: ‘Theo’ (God) and ‘tokos’ (a creature who gives birth). Here Arians had so exalted Christ that he no longer seemed human. They believed Mary to be the mother of Jesus’ humanity but not of the divine Word. This issue was also aggravated by the tension between the Church in Egypt, which supported the title Mother of God and the Church of Antioch, which supported the title Mother of Christ. The Council of Ephesus stated: If anyone does not confess that Emmanuel is truly God, and therefore that the blessed Virgin is truly Mother of God, ‘Theotokos’, she bore according to the flesh him who is Word from God, let him be anathema.

Council of Chalcedon (451): In the Council of Chalcedon, Pope Leo offered a formula that incorporated Nestorius’ concern for a clear distinction between the two natures in Jesus. It said that Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary...according to his humanity. Even though the Council of Chalcedon spelled out the two natures in Jesus in an explicit dogmatic statement, the Monophysites, held the view that after the incarnation Christ had only one divine nature. Chalcedon emphasized Jesus’ bodily and human dimension: the Son born of the Father before all time as to his divinity, is born in recent times for us and for our salvation. So, Chalcedon asserted that Mary’s motherhood was genuine and true.

The Second Council of Constantinople (553): The Second Council of Constantinople proclaimed Mary’s permanent virginity.

The First Lateran Council (649): The First Lateran Council (649) called by Pope Martin I to condemn the heresy of Monothelitism, defended Mary’s divine motherhood and perpetual Virginity. He says, ....God the word himself, who before the ages was born of God the Father, and gave birth to him without corruption, her virginity remained equally inviolate after the birth...”. Mary kept her virginity pure for the sake of the salvific mission of Christ.

The Fourth Lateran Council (1215): “The profession of faith of the Fourth Lateran council recognized ‘The only son of God...conceived by Mary ever Virgin by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

 

Mary’s Perpetual Virginity According to Vatican II (1962-65): The Second Vatican Council says: The books of the Old Testament describe the history of salvation, by which the coming of Christ into the world was slowly prepared. These earliest documents, as they are read in the Church and are understood in the light of a further and full revelation, bring the figure of the woman, Mother of the Redeemer, into a gradually clearer light (LG, 55). The analogy of the virgin- mother Mary and the church becomes an illustration of its ecclesiology: In the mystery of the church, which itself is rightly called Mother virgin, the blessed Virgin stands out in eminent and singular fashion as exemplar both of virgin and mother.  Through her faith and obedience she gave birth on earth to the very Son of the father, not through the knowledge of man but the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The church herself is virgin who keeps whole and pure the fidelity she has pledged to her spouse.  Imitating the mother of her Lord and by the power of the Holy Spirit she preserves with virginal purity an integral faith, a firm hope and a sincere charity. The virgin-spouse metaphor emphases the attitude of contemplative love, the need to be fed by the word of God and to keep the union with God as the ultimate goal of human life. In the Church the virginal adherence to God becomes a triple sign: a sign of consecration as being set aside for the exclusive service of God; a sign of poverty as one who is called to accept only God’s fullness; a sign of novelty of the kingdom which is coming to overturn the laws of natural creation.

 

Mary, the Mother of God

Jesus was born of a woman, a mother. She is the great woman and a Mother of faith, laying herself open to the mystery of God’s plan for her unique womanly and motherly role. For Matthew and the traditions, which stand behind his story of Jesus’ birth, Mary’s greatness lay in her preparedness to be woman and mother in response to the design of God.

Mary's Motherhood:  In the traditional history of the Catholic Church we can see many events of Mary's helping hand for the humankind.  In the concrete evidence about Mary in different times Supreme Authority of the church has given some important titles to Mother Mary. Through these we express our love, respect, gratitude and devotion to Blessed Mother Mary. Such as we pray Rosary prayer and express our special devotion and respect to our Mother Mary and through which we bring God's blessing upon us. At the end of Rosary we say the litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, where we find extraordinary titles and pick-up the different images of Mother Mary. “The great identity of Mother Mary is the Mother of God, Mother of Christ, Mother of the Church, Mother of divine grace, Mother of most pure, Mother of Chaste, Mother of inviolate, Mother of undefiled, Mother of most lovable Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Mother of our creator, Mother of our savior, Mother of our family and mother of mercy.”

 

Biblical Background:

Motherhood of Mary in the New Testament: The important sections of the Gospels and letters that describe Mary’s personality and her role in Jesus’ work of salvation. So, all the sacred authors described Mary’s Motherhood in Christological way. In Mark, there are only two passages about ‘the Mother of Jesus’ (Mk 3: 31 – 35; 6: 1 – 6) have both the same incidental character. In Mt Chapters 1-2, the infancy narratives about Mary and in Lk chapters 1-2, describe the conception and birth of Jesus. Actually these two narratives are in the form of popular traditions. In the NT Mary is named in the Synoptic Gospels and Acts of the Apostle. In the John Gospel, she is referred to as ‘the mother of Jesus’ or ‘His (Jesus) Mother’ (Jn 2: 1, 3, 5, 12 – The wedding at Cana; 19: 26-27 – when Mary was standing beneath the cross). 

 

The Teaching of the Different Councils about Mary’s Divine Motherhood: Christological dogma of divine motherhood of Mary was formulated in the Council of Chalcedon (451). But the title 'Mother of God' was officially declared by Pope John II in a letter to the Synod of Constantinople. The Pope quotes, "we teach that it is right for the Catholics to confess that the glorious and holy Mary, ever virgin is truly and properly the mother of God the word incarnate from her.

Mary had a unique role in the salvation mission of Christ. She performed this role by becoming the Mother of God. God himself kept Mary sinless for the purpose of making her partner of salvific action of Christ. Many councils of the Church discussed about the Mary's Divine Motherhood. Some prominent teachings of the church councils are given below:

 

The Council of Ephesus (431 A. D): In the council Nicaean creed was read together with the 12 anathemas of Cyril against Nestorius and defended the title Mother of God for the Virgin Mary. On a Sunday in the year 429, Nestorius preached a sermon in the Cathedral church on the subject of the Nature of Jesus. He said that there were two persons in Jesus, the Divine Person and the Human Person, the Man Jesus, who was born of the Virgin Mary and died on the cross. So, according to him Mary was not the Mother of God (Theo-tokos), but she was only the mother of the Man Jesus (Christo-tokos).  Against the teaching of Nestorius Cyril (Bishop of Alexandria) showed in his booklet that "Jesus there is only one person, the Divine person and that Two Natures, the Divine and the Human. Therefore the one who was born of Mary is the Divine person, Jesus, and hence Mary is truly the Mother of God."

 

In the Council of Chalcedon (451), Pope Leo I offered a formula that incorporated Nestorius concern for a clear distinction between the two natures in Jesus. In the words of the council of Chalcedon Jesus was –born of the Virgin Mary --- according to his humanity. What the council of the Chalcedon spelled out in an explicit dogmatic statement. The Monophysites, on the other hand, held the view that after the incarnation only one (Divine) nature was in Jesus. In opposition to Nestorius they spoke of Christ’s heavenly flesh, the fruit of the work of the Holy Spirit, thus making Mary’s motherhood unreal. Against them Chalcedon emphasized Jesus bodily and human dimension: “the Son born of the Father before all times as to his divinity, is born in recent times for us and for our salvation. In stressing the oneness of the word made flesh with all humanity, Chalcedon asserted that Mary’s motherhood was genuine and true.”

The Pope, in a letter to the Senate of Constantinople, has declared that the Virgin Mary is truly the Mother of God. The pope quotes, “we teach that it is right for the Catholics to confess that the glorious and holy Mary, ever virgin, is truly and properly the Mother of God and the word incarnated from her.”

 

The council of Trent 1215 (A. D.): The First Lateran Council called by Pope Martin I to condemn the heresy of monothelitism, defended Mary' divine motherhood and perpetual Virginity. If anyone does not confess, with all the Holy Fathers, that Mary, holy, ever-virgin and immaculate, is in the true sense Mother of God, who at the end of the ages, without human seed, conceived specially and truly by the Holy Spirit God the Word himself, born of God the Father before all ages, and that she bore him without corruption to her virginity, remaining unchanged even after childbirth, let him be condemned. It is by faith and obedience that Mary retains the Virginity that Eve lost by her of faith and disobedience.

 

The Second Vatican Council (1962): In the second Vatican council, in the document of “Dogmatic constitution on the Church, (Lumen Gentium), the entire chapter 8 is devoted to the role of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the mystery of Christ and the Church. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the Word of God in her heart and in her body and gave life to the world, is acknowledge and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer. Redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her son and united to him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with high office and dignity of the mother of the Son of God, and therefore she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of the gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth (LG, 53).

 In the Vatican II:  Pope Paul VI promulgated the title, "Mary, Mother of the church", at the end of the third session of the second Vatican council, in November 1964. Pope Paul VI, declared "Mary the Mother of the Church; He stated it thus : "for the glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and for our own consolation, we declare Mary to be the Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole Christian people, of the faithful and their shepherds who called Mary their most loving mother, and we ordain that the whole Christian people henceforth give even greater honour to Mary and invoke her aid under this title." The council of Vatican II gave reverence to Mary as the mother of God and her role in the salvation history and in the church.  Therefore this sacred synod, while expounding the doctrine on the church, in which the divine Redeemer brings about our salvation, intends to set forth painstakingly both of the blessed Virgin Mary in the mystery of the incarnate Word and the Mystical Body and the duties of the redeemed towards the mother of God, who is mother of Christ and mother of men and most of those who believe. The Virgin Mary, who at the message of the angel received the word of God in her heart and in her body and gave life to the world, is acknowledged and honored as being truly the Mother of God and of the redeemer. 

 

The title 'Mother of God' is of significance for Christian life: Jesus is Immanuel which means God is with us. He is not merely God's messenger or ruler in God's name. This was the role of prophets and kings. The mission of Jesus is not exhausted in teaching and working; it consists in his presence, in communion: through Jesus God in a living and life-giving communion with us. This is God's gift to us through Mary. "In 431 a council was called at Ephesus and a huge theological battle took place. After the final session of the council and long and wearying debates, the people of Ephesus   accompanied the Father of the council from the great hall where the council took place to their lodgings in another part of the city, with torches in their hands, shouting: 'Theotokos! Theotokos! Theotokos!'.... The title officially bestowed upon her by the council: the mother of God. What the church emphasizes by this title is the historical reality of the Incarnation itself and of everyone who is associated with it. The Incarnation did take place; it is not just a symbol, Jesus. Jesus Christ was a true historical person. He was born of the Virgin Mary and she did give birth to the Son of God made man. If she is not the mother of God, then Jesus is not God but simply one of the historical figures born in that century. The whole mystery of Jesus, like the whole mystery of Mary, begins with that key statement of the gospel of St. John: "The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. It was from Mary that human flesh, and so the Christmas story is told anew each year, start line us with the wonder of that Birth and stirring us by the marvel of his person. If Jesus is God, then the Mystery of the Incarnation is the most tremendous thing that has ever happened of all the works of God, this is the most astonishing. Nothing greater can be imagined than that the true God and Son of God should become man. In the silence and wonder of that shepherd's cave, a child was born: a Child who is truly a human child, yet who was just truly God. That is what we believe; that is what we celebrate; that is why Mary is called Theotokos; that is why she is called the Mother of God".

 

Mary is the model of virgin mother because of her total dedication to the kingdom of God and its values. Her virginal Motherhood is the model because of her universal love. As a mother, Mary is the model of the Church who is the mother of all her children.  As a virgin and divine, Mary is the model of the Church who is the virginal bride of Christ and totally committed to Christ and all his brothers and sisters in the   human family. The Calvary sense is understood as one of three key moments in Mary’s motherhood. First, in Nazareth Mary becomes the mother of Jesus spiritually and physically by welcoming him into her heart in faith. Secondly, at the foot of he cross she becomes the spiritual Mother of all (represented by St. John). Finally at Pentecost she becomes specially ‘Mother of the Church.’ John Paul II’s words again prove enlightening. Under the cross, “Mary’s Motherhood of the human race... is clearly stated and established. The Mother of Christ, who stands at the very center of this mystery- a mystery which embraces each individual and all humanity-is given to every single individual and all humankind.” The Pope observes, “The Council did not hesitate to call Mary the Mother of Christ and mother of mankind.”

 

The Doctrine of the Assumption of Mary

Biblical Background:

Scripture gives us no specific information about Mary's assumption. From the earliest centuries, however, Christians seemed to have been convinced about Mary's extraordinary holiness and her place in God's plan. The dogma of the Assumption complements the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in the same way that the Resurrection of Christ complements his crucifixion and the life of sacrificial service to others. Just as the Immaculate Conception was merely a personal privilege conferred upon Mary but a reality bestowed in view of her role in the economy of salvation, so the assumption is not merely a personal privilege unrelated to the wider mission of her life. Her union with God Christ was unique from the beginning Her call to final union with God in Christ in the totality of her human existence, was so unique in the end. The dogma of the assumption asserts something about human existence is bodily existence and that we are destined for glory not only in the realm of the spiritual but in the realm of the material as well.

On November 1, 1950 Pope Pius XII solemnly defined the assumption of Mary to the glory of heaven. The constitution offers a survey of the belief in Mary's assumption, expressed in doctrine of popular piety and liturgy through the ages. The final synthesis was given by the constitution. "For the joy and exultation of the whole church, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed apostle Peter and Paul and by our own authority we proclaim, declare and define as a dogma revealed by God; the Immaculate Mother of God, Mary ever virgin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven.

The second Vatican council emphasized the unity of Mary's bodily and spiritual glory in heaven. "The assumption 'body and soul' asserts that the whole person will be saved. Christian Faith teaches that, at the resurrection of the dead, every person receives a transformed body and is taken entirely into life, since the soul cannot be separated from the body. To proclaim Mary's assumption as a dogma of faith is to affirm that she now shares in the fullness of the resurrection that God promised all people when God raised Jesus from the dead. Thus assumption of Mary depends totally on Christ's resurrection. She now lives beyond death, beyond judgment, and the same glory that she now enjoys is what we, by God's mercy, hope to enjoy eventually.

Mary is the sign of the future fulfillment of the church and a comfort to us pilgrim people. It proves that death is no longer compatible with dignity of the mother of God. " Mary was pure in body and soul, therefore the earth could not decompose her body. In the earthly life she fulfilled all her responsibilities in faith and obedience. As a housewife she sanctified herself and her family with prayer and other Jewish customs. The Assumption of Mary is her reward of being faithfulness to the will of the Father. In those days to be the mother of a child before marriage was a terrible social crime and its punishment was stone to death. But Mary accepted this challenge and conceived the Son of God in her womb. As a wife she was also faithful to her husband Joseph sharing their joys and sorrows. So through her assumption she proves that if we remain faithful to the will of the father fin r daily pain and suffering, we will not be deprived from the reward.       

 

The Doctrine of the Immaculate Conception

Biblical Background O.T.:

In his Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus (December 8, 1854), which officially defined the Immaculate Conception as dogma for the Catholic Church, Pope Pius IX primarily appealed to the text of Gensis 3:15 where the serpent was told by God, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed"(Gen.3: 15). According to the Catholic understanding, this was a prophecy that foretold of a "woman" who would always be at enmity with the serpent-that is, a woman who would never be under the power of sin, nor in bondage to the serpent.

New Testament: Some Catholic theologians have also found Scriptural evidence for the Immaculate Conception in the angel Gabriel's greeting to Mary at the Annanciation , (Luke 1:28). The English translation, "Hail, Full of Grace," or "Hail, Favored One," is based on the Greek of Luke 1:28, "Χαίρε, Κεχαριτωμένη", Chaire kecharitomene, a phrase which can most literally be translated: "Rejoice, you who have been graced". The angel's salutation does not refer to the Incarnation of Christ in Mary's womb, as he proceeds to say: "thou shalt conceive in thy womb…" (Luke 1:28).

 

The Dogma of the Immaculate Conception holds that Mary the Mother of Jesus was free from original sin from the very moment of her conception. The Immaculate Conception of Mary is often confused with the virginal conception of Jesus. The Council of Basle described the former as a 'pious doctrine' in it thirty-sixth session (1439). The meaning of Immaculate Conception is that, by the reason of Mary's unique call to be the other of the incarnate Word, she was from the very beginning of her existence united with God in the most intimate ways. And this union was, in return, grounded in the yet-to-be accomplished redemptive work of the Son she was to bear.

Church Fathers teaching (church teaching):

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception had developed through out many centuries. After the position taken by Trent and the condemnation of de Bay, Pope Alexander VII in 1661 explained and defender the definition of Pious IX. The Pope thus rose to a dogma of faith of doctrine, which had behind it a long tradition. To the glory of the holy and undivided Trinity, to the honor and renown of the virgin mother of God, the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of Christian religion by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul and our own authority declare, pronounce and define the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary was from the moment of her conception, by the singular grace and privilege of the Almighty God and in view of the merit of Christ Jesus the Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin to be believed by all the faithful."

Pius IX in the papal bull Ineffabilies Dues promulgated the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, 1854. "It states that the Blessed Virgin Mary was free from original sin from the first moment of her existence: we declare...... that the most Blessed Virgin Mary yin the first moment of her conception was, by the unique grace and privilege of God, in view of her merits of Jesus Christ the Saviour of the human race, preserved intact from all stains of original sin. The council of Trent discussed the Scottish thesis about the Immaculate Conception of Mary. No question was raised about this dogma. So Pope Pius IX on December 8, 1854, proclaimed Mary preserved from original sin, beginning with the moment of her conception. But the Council of Vatican II did not say anything regarding this dogma.

 

Conclusion: 

At last we can say that The Marian Doctrine in the light of the Vatican Council-II (Church Document) gave reverence to Mary as the mother of God and her role in the salvation history and in the Church." Wherefore this sacred synod, whole expounding the doctrine of the Church, in which the divine Redeemer brings about our salvation, intends to set forth painstakingly both the role of the Blessed Virgin in the mystery of the Incarnate word and the mystical-Body, and the duties of the redeemed towards the mother of God, who is mother of Christ and mother of men, and most of all those who believe. It does not, however, intend to give a complete doctrine on Mary, nor does it wish to decide those questions which the work of theologians has not yet fully clarified those opinions; therefore may be lawfully retained which are profounder in Catholic schools concerning her, who occupies a place in the Church which is the highest after Christ and also closest to us."