Thursday, October 29, 2015
Youcat commented through CCC - Question n. 83 - Part II.
(Youcat
answer - repeated) The Church believes that “the most Blessed Virgin Mary was,
from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of
almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human
race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin” (dogma of 1854).
A deepening through CCC
(CCC 489b)
Against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and
weak to show forth his faithfulness to his promises: Hannah, the mother of
Samuel; Deborah; Ruth; Judith and Esther; and many other women (Cf. 1 Cor 1:17;
1 Sam 1). Mary "stands out among the poor and humble of the Lord, who
confidently hope for and receive salvation from him. After a long period of
waiting the times are fulfilled in her, the exalted Daughter of Sion, and the
new plan of salvation is established"(LG 55). (CCC 491) Through the
centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of
grace" through God (Lk 1:28), was
redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the
Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: The most
Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular
grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus
Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original
sin (Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854:
DS 2803).
Reflecting and meditating
(Youcat comment) Belief in the
Immaculate Conception has existed since the beginning of the Church. The
expression is misunderstood today. It is saying that God preserved Mary from
original sin from the very beginning. It says nothing about the conception of
Jesus in Mary’s womb. By no means is it a devaluation of sexuality in
Christianity, as though a husband and wife would be “stained” if they conceived
a child.
(CCC Comment)
(CCC 490)
To become the mother of the Savior, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate
to such a role" (LG 56). The angel Gabriel at the moment of the
annunciation salutes her as "full of grace" (Lk 1:28). In fact, in
order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the
announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by
God's grace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment