Dogmas of the Blessed Virgin Mary
1. Immaculate
Conception
Mary was immaculately conceived in the womb of St. Anne.
Pope Pius IX dogmatically proclaimed “The Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first
moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God,
and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, was
preserved free from every stain of original sin.” Since
God is not bound by time, God willed it to choose Mary from the beginning and grant
her the singular grace of Immaculate Conception to bear Jesus, the Son of God,
in her womb. In the Gospel of Luke, when the Angel Gabriel saluted Mary with
the words “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”,
the Greek word for full of grace is kecharitomene, past perfect tense of
to give grace, meaning that the action of giving grace has already occurred. Thus, explains the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
2. Perpetual
Virginity
Mary remained a virgin before, during, and after the birth
of Our Lord Jesus Christ. To be the bearer of the Christ, the womb must be pure
like Jesus. Through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit on Mary, Jesus was
formed in the womb of Jesus, which is why Mary remained a virgin. This can be
understood on two levels: Physical and Spiritual. On a physical level, Mary is
pure and no one touches her. On the spiritual level, Mary is totally dedicated
to God. On the annunciation, Mary questioned the Angel Gabriel, “How can this
be, since I have no relations with a man?” This
is a concrete manifestation that Mary remained a virgin. Finally, this
perpetual virginity indicates the sacredness of the Incarnation, emphasizing
Mary's unique role as the Theotokos, the bearer of God, and her unwavering
commitment to divine will.
3. Divine
Motherhood
Mary is the Mother of God, since Jesus is the second person
of the Holy Trinity, Mary became the vessel of God for God to be incarnated and
human in the person of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Mary is also the Theotokos, the God-bearer.
The Son of God, Our Lord Jesus Christ became man by the help of the virgin womb
of Our Lady. Mary Magdalene said of Mary with these words “Why is this granted
me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” Magdalene’s greeting highlights Mary’s role in the incarnation of Jesus, she
taught Jesus the way we learn as human beings and she guided Jesus in growing
up as a Jew.
4. Assumption
Mary was assumed by God in Heaven. Since Mary is free from the stain of original sin, Mary was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory so that she may fulfill her identity being the Mother of God, by conforming herself like that of her son, Jesus. She is the first person who partakes in the divine life of God. In the Book of Revelation, the author wrote the image of Mary as a Queen Mother, “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Devotion to Mary is important because she is the surest guide in the journey of discipleship.
Sources:
Pius IX (1854), Ineffabilis Deus. Retrieved March 20, 2024 from https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9ineff.htm
Grondin (n.d.), Full of Grace Versus Highly Favored. Retrieved March 20, 2024 from https://www.catholic.com/qa/full-of-grace-versus-highly-favored
