Youcat commented through CCC - Question n. 80 - Part VII.

YOUCAT Question n. 80 - Part VII. Why is Mary a Virgin?

(Youcat answer - repeated) God willed that Jesus Christ should have a true human mother but only God himself as his Father, because he wanted to make a new beginning that could be credited to him alone and not to earthly forces.   

A deepening through CCC

(CCC 509) Mary is truly "Mother of God" since she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself. (CCC 498 a) People are sometimes troubled by the silence of St. Mark's Gospel and the New Testament Epistles about Jesus' virginal conception. Some might wonder if we were merely dealing with legends or theological constructs not claiming to be history. To this we must respond: Faith in the virginal conception of Jesus met with the lively opposition, mockery or incomprehension of non-believers, Jews and pagans alike (Cf. St. Justin, Dial. 99, 7: PG 6, 708-709; Origen, Contra Celsum 1, 32, 69: PG 11, 720-721; et al.); so it could hardly have been motivated by pagan mythology or by some adaptation to the ideas of the age. 

Reflecting and meditating 

(Youcat comment) Mary’s virginity is not some outdated mythological notion but rather fundamental to the life of Jesus. He was born of a woman but had no human father. Jesus Christ is a new beginning in the world that has been instituted from on high. In the Gospel of Luke, Mary asks the angel, “How can this be, since I have no husband?” ( do not sleep with a man, Lk 1:34); the angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you” (Lk 1:35). Although the Church from the earliest days was mocked on account of her belief in Mary’s virginity, she has always believed that her virginity is real and not merely symbolic.  

(CCC Comment)

(CCC 498b) The meaning of this event is accessible only to faith, which understands in it the "connection of these mysteries with one another" (Dei Filius 4: DS 3016) in the totality of Christ's mysteries, from his Incarnation to his Passover. St. Ignatius of Antioch already bears witness to this connection: "Mary's virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord's death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God's silence" (St. Ignatius of Antioch, ad Eph. 19, 1: AF II/2 76-80; SCh 10, 88; cf. 1 Cor 2:8).

(This question: Why is Mary a Virgin?  is continued)