Blessed Mother Mary
A Jewish maiden of the house of David, whose parents are commonly referred to as Joachim and Anne; at her conception she was preserved by God from all stain of original sin; (see Immaculate Conception); she was betrothed to a carpenter, Joseph; at the Annunciation the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity took flesh […]
How can it be proved from the Scriptures that the Virgin Mary was miraculously conceived? Doesn’t the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin contradict the Scriptures, which teach that all men died in Adam (1 Cor. 15:22)? Is this not a relatively new teaching of the Church, first proclaimed in 1854?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ We do not believe that the Virgin Mary was miraculously conceived. Her Son was born miraculously of a virgin Mother, but she herself had a real father and a real mother, St. Joachim and St. Anne. The doctrine means that at the very first instant when her soul was infused into […]
What is the Spiritual Tradition Regarding Mary’s Birth?
Sacred Scripture does not record Mary’s birth. The earliest known writing regarding Mary’s birth is found in the Protoevangelium of James (5:2), which is an apocryphal writing from the late 2nd century. What matters is not the historicity of the account, but the significance of Mary’s and of every person’s birth. In Mary’s case, the […]
What is meant by Mary’s Immaculate Conception?
Answer: The Immaculate Conception does not mean that Mary was conceived miraculously, or that there was anything abnormal in her physical origin. It simply means that her soul was preserved from that taint of original sin, which all others inherit from our first parents. It was really an anticipated baptism, a redemption of Mary’s soul […]
My brother insists that Mary could not have remained a virgin in giving birth to Jesus. How can I answer him?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: The Catholic Church has consistently declared that Christ’s birth did not violate Mary’s virginal integrity. Logically, since the birth of Our Lord was miraculous, and Mary’s virginity remained intact, she could not have experience labor pains. The documents of the magisterium leave no room for doubt as to the official […]
“She was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery…. And the woman fled into the wilderness, … (Rev. 12:2; 6). Does this passage refer to the Blessed Mother?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: The Church teaches that at Bethlehem Mary did not bring her divine Child in pain nor did she flee to the wilderness after the Ascension. Hence, the woman before the birth of the Child, most probably represents the Israel of the Old Testament, whose heroes and heroines toiled to prepare […]
The movie The Nativity shows Mary in labor, giving birth to Jesus. I would like to know the Catholic Church’s position on this. Did Mary really experience labor pains?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: Scripture relates that pain in childbirth is the result of the sin of the first woman in the Garden of Eden. “Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate” (Gen. 3:13). “To the […]
Rom 3:23: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…” Does this include the Blessed Mother?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: Did Jesus sin? Obviously not. So there must be an exception to this passage. The problem with this is that the word ‘ALL’ here is the Greek word, “πα̃ς” or “pas”, which can have different meanings to the absolute that we immediately think of – as shown in other verses […]
What biblical evidence is there for the Assumption of Mary into heaven?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: The strongest proof for the Assumption according to “Munificentissimus Deus” is the unanimous faith of the people and their pastors. This remarkable accord of the Catholic bishops and faithful enlightened by the Holy Spirit existed in the Church for centuries. In a matter of so great importance that Church cannot […]
Despite what Rome and some other Catholics like Mel Gibson (“The Passion”) believe, that Mary is a “co-mediatrix” and “co-redemptrix” – this is clearly blasphemy; when compared to what the Word of God, the Bible says: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” 1 Timothy 2:5. How does the Catholic Church try to justify this profanity?
Victor R. Claveau, MJ Answer: Catholics too believe that Jesus is the one mediator between man and God. Jesus was the bridge between sinful man and his Immortal Father, in the sense that his sacrifice on the cross paid for the sins of mankind and open the gates of heaven. Jesus ransomed us from the […]