"The history of the church teaches us that the greatest saints are those who professed the greatest devotion to Mary."
-St. John Bosco
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Our Lady's Perpetual Virginity
"Then he brought me back to the outer gate of the sanctuary, which faces east; and it was shut. And he said to me, 'This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut.'"
-Ezekiel 44:1-2
This passage from Ezekiel is a favorite for the Church Fathers in defense of the Blessed Virgin Mary's perptual virginity.
"Some quite emphatically understand this closed gate through which only the Lord God of Israel passes....as the Virgin Mary, who remains a Virgin before and after childbirth. In fact, she remains always a Virgin. in the moment in which the Angel speaks with her and when the Son of God is born." -St. Jerome
"she is closed because she is a virgin; she is a gate, because Christ has entered through her......This gate faces east, because she has given birth to him who rises, the sun of justice.....Mary is the good gate that was closed and was not opened. Christ passed through it, but did not open it." -St. Ambrose
"[Christ] precisely as Legislator fulfills His own law in a manner transcending that law: He does not in fact open, but leaves closed the virginal gate, removes not the natural seal, injures not the Mother of God, but leaves intact her virginal honor." -Hesychius of Jerusalem
"[Jesus] as God does not break the virginal seals: in such wise He exits the womb as He entered there through the ear; thus He was born, as He was conceived: without passion He entered, without corruption He exited, according to the Ezekiel who says: 'This gate will remain closed.'" -St, Proclus of Constantinople
-Ezekiel 44:1-2
This passage from Ezekiel is a favorite for the Church Fathers in defense of the Blessed Virgin Mary's perptual virginity.
"Some quite emphatically understand this closed gate through which only the Lord God of Israel passes....as the Virgin Mary, who remains a Virgin before and after childbirth. In fact, she remains always a Virgin. in the moment in which the Angel speaks with her and when the Son of God is born." -St. Jerome
"she is closed because she is a virgin; she is a gate, because Christ has entered through her......This gate faces east, because she has given birth to him who rises, the sun of justice.....Mary is the good gate that was closed and was not opened. Christ passed through it, but did not open it." -St. Ambrose
"[Christ] precisely as Legislator fulfills His own law in a manner transcending that law: He does not in fact open, but leaves closed the virginal gate, removes not the natural seal, injures not the Mother of God, but leaves intact her virginal honor." -Hesychius of Jerusalem
"[Jesus] as God does not break the virginal seals: in such wise He exits the womb as He entered there through the ear; thus He was born, as He was conceived: without passion He entered, without corruption He exited, according to the Ezekiel who says: 'This gate will remain closed.'" -St, Proclus of Constantinople
Monday, February 05, 2007
Women: Be Like Mary
"The mystery of Eve-Mary is also the mystery of every woman. In life, every woman is capable of being Eve or Mary, can conduct herself and fulfill herself either like Eve or like Mary. The first is the woman who degrades herself, the second is the woman who ennobles herself. The first capitulates to temptation; the second resists and defeats the tempter. The first brings ruin upon herself and other; the second saves herself and others. The first also involves Adam in her disgrace; the second collaborates with the New Adam in the work of redemption."
-Fr. Stefano Manelli in All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed: Biblical Mariology.
-Fr. Stefano Manelli in All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed: Biblical Mariology.
Isaiah 7:14
"Critical problems with regard to the meaning of the term "virgin" involving philological exegesis of the text have now been definitively resolved. Rolla writes: 'The Virgin (in Hebrew ha'almah): the presence of the article indicates that the person in question is someone definite, if not from the context, at least in the prophet's mind. The person in question is 'almah, that is, a young girl, a girl of marriageable age, maiden, virgin. In fact, the Hebrew term, in the eight places where it does appear in the Hebrew Bible apart from the present text (Esther 2:8; Gen 24:43; 1 Chron 15:20; Song 1:3, 6:8; Ps 45:1, 67:26; Prov 30:19), always indicates a woman both sexually and chronologically mature, not named, and, therefore, ordinarily still a virgin."
-Fr. Stefano Manelli in All Generations Shall Call Me Blessed: Biblical Mariology.
Not to mention the exegesis St. Matthew does in his Gospel (which is the inspired word of God):
"All this was done in order to fulfill that which the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, a virgin shall be with child and bring forth a son who will be called Emmanuel, which means God with us." (Mt 1:22-23)
St. Ambrose also points out that Isaiah 7:14 is evidence for Mary's virginity remaining intact during the very act of giving birth:
"This is the Virgin who conceived in her womb, the Virgin who bore a son. For thus it is written: Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. Not only is it said that the virgin would conceive, but that the virgin would bear a child."
The Fathers of the Church also compared the miracle of Mary's virginity remaining intact in giving birth to Christ with the example of light shining through a glass.
Baptized Or Not?
Mark Shea has a lively discussion going, speculating on whether or not Mary was sacramentally baptized. He is in favor of Mary not having been. The comments are up to 57 at the moment and I haven't read them all but rather briefly scanned through them.
One commenter has made these remarks in favor of Mary's baptism:
"Mary needed to baptised to receive the other sacraments (non baptized individuals can not validly receive any other sacrament). Mary could not have received the Eucharist with baptism......To hold the position that Mary never was baptized is to hold that she was never confirmed or received the Eucharist. If you do not know the theological principle stated above, look it up in any orthodox book on the Sacramental Theology.....The Immaculate Conception did not: Make Mary a Christian, because it did not give her the mark of baptism. It did not incorporate her into the Mystical Body of Christ."
As Mark noted, he seems very cocksure in speculation as if he were presenting dogma.
In all humility and as merely speculation, I would propose the following answer to the commenter (and maybe someone already has stated the same. As I said, I haven't read all the comments):
First of all, Mary wouldn’t require baptism because of her Immaculate Conception. Second she would be initiated into the life of Christ by the very fact that she is His Mother! One could say that Mary carrying Christ in the womb for 9 months (all the while receiving unlimited grace) would act as a sort of baptism. The problem with the commenter's logic is that he is comparing sinless and Immaculate Mary to the rest of sinful creation.
Now, Mark does bring up a good point that maybe Mary would have chosen sacramental baptism without needing it in order to be more like Christ who was baptized without the need for it. This would go hand in hand with the speculation of whether Mary died or not before her Assumption. The tradition in the East says that Mary chose to die in order to be more like Christ (yet her death did not corrupt her body) and the West traditionally says that she was assumed without death at the end of her life. The only thing about the baptism for Mary, is that it isn't anyway in Tradition (which is why I agree with Mark against it). Of course, arguments from silence aren't the best as well......isn't theology fun!
One commenter has made these remarks in favor of Mary's baptism:
"Mary needed to baptised to receive the other sacraments (non baptized individuals can not validly receive any other sacrament). Mary could not have received the Eucharist with baptism......To hold the position that Mary never was baptized is to hold that she was never confirmed or received the Eucharist. If you do not know the theological principle stated above, look it up in any orthodox book on the Sacramental Theology.....The Immaculate Conception did not: Make Mary a Christian, because it did not give her the mark of baptism. It did not incorporate her into the Mystical Body of Christ."
As Mark noted, he seems very cocksure in speculation as if he were presenting dogma.
In all humility and as merely speculation, I would propose the following answer to the commenter (and maybe someone already has stated the same. As I said, I haven't read all the comments):
First of all, Mary wouldn’t require baptism because of her Immaculate Conception. Second she would be initiated into the life of Christ by the very fact that she is His Mother! One could say that Mary carrying Christ in the womb for 9 months (all the while receiving unlimited grace) would act as a sort of baptism. The problem with the commenter's logic is that he is comparing sinless and Immaculate Mary to the rest of sinful creation.
Now, Mark does bring up a good point that maybe Mary would have chosen sacramental baptism without needing it in order to be more like Christ who was baptized without the need for it. This would go hand in hand with the speculation of whether Mary died or not before her Assumption. The tradition in the East says that Mary chose to die in order to be more like Christ (yet her death did not corrupt her body) and the West traditionally says that she was assumed without death at the end of her life. The only thing about the baptism for Mary, is that it isn't anyway in Tradition (which is why I agree with Mark against it). Of course, arguments from silence aren't the best as well......isn't theology fun!
The Mystery Of The Hypostatic Union
"Lowliness is assured by majesty, weakness by power, and mortality by eternity. To pay the debt of our sinful state, a nature that is incapable of suffering was joined to one that could suffer. Thus, in keeping with the healing that we needed, one and the same mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, was able to die in one nature, and unable to die in the other...He was born in a new condition, for, invisible in his own nature, he became visible in ours. Beyond our grasp, he chose to come within our grasp. Existing before time began, he began to exist at a moment in time. Lord of the universe, he hid his infinite glory and took the nature of a servant. Incapable of suffering as God, he did not refuse to be a man, capable of suffering. Immortal, he chose to be subject to the laws of death. He who is true God is also true man."
-Saint Leo the Great.
-Saint Leo the Great.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
A Mother's Loving Words To Her Son: "Accept Death"
A classmate of mine, Kevin Clarke, has written an excellent paper comparing the Blessed Virgin Mary with the mother in Maccabees. Give it a read, you won't regret it!
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Presentation Of Our Lord
I know the Presentation of Our Lord was yesterday, but I didn't want to miss commenting on it.
In the Presentation, we see Christ being set apart and consecrated for the priesthood. When Christ is presented in the Temple, he isn't bought back as the law proscribed for the firstborn sons, rather, like Samuel, he was dedicated to God. The two doves mentioned in Luke (the Gospel reading for yesterday) are not for Christ's ransom (which would have been five shekels), but for the removal of uncleanness incurred by Mary in giving birth to Christ according to Jewish custom.
The reading from Hebrews that we heard yesterday about Christ being the perfect mediator and priest also emphasize this fact. Another thing I found that went with this, is in the readings for the evening Daily Office from yesterday. The first psalm was from Psalm 110, the great psalm that links Christ with the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Also, the Scripture reading for the Office was from Hebrews 4:15-16:
"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need."
Christ is our great high priest! For more on this subject, here is a paper I wrote on the priesthood of Christ for my Biblical Foundations class last semester.
In the Presentation, we see Christ being set apart and consecrated for the priesthood. When Christ is presented in the Temple, he isn't bought back as the law proscribed for the firstborn sons, rather, like Samuel, he was dedicated to God. The two doves mentioned in Luke (the Gospel reading for yesterday) are not for Christ's ransom (which would have been five shekels), but for the removal of uncleanness incurred by Mary in giving birth to Christ according to Jewish custom.
The reading from Hebrews that we heard yesterday about Christ being the perfect mediator and priest also emphasize this fact. Another thing I found that went with this, is in the readings for the evening Daily Office from yesterday. The first psalm was from Psalm 110, the great psalm that links Christ with the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. Also, the Scripture reading for the Office was from Hebrews 4:15-16:
"We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weakness, but one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet never sinned. So let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and favor and to find help in time of need."
Christ is our great high priest! For more on this subject, here is a paper I wrote on the priesthood of Christ for my Biblical Foundations class last semester.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Raise A Pint To Saint Brigid!
Today is her feast day, and here is one of my favorite quotes from a saint:
"I would like the angels of Heaven to be among us. I would like an abundance of peace. I would like full vessels of charity. I would like rich treasures of mercy. I would like cheerfulness to preside over all. I would like Jesus to be present. I would like the three Marys of illustrious renown to be with us. I would like the friends of Heaven to be gathered around us from all parts. I would like myself to be a rent payer to the Lord; that I should suffer distress, that he would bestow a good blessing upon me. I would like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings. I would like to be watching Heaven's family drinking it through all eternity."
-Saint Brigid of Ireland.
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