Ever Virgin Mary.
Before, during and after.
Do you ever think about that? The perpetual virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary? Some people can become confused by the terms,”Virgin Birth” and “Ever Virgin”. A few people think that Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception refers to the virgin birth, yet the virgin birth specifically refers to Christ’s conception and birth, not Mary’s. The Immaculate Conception does not mean that Our Lady was conceived supernaturally, rather it means Our Lady was conceived without stain of original sin. As the Catechism (491) teaches when quoting Pius IX in his solemn definition of the dogma:
“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 from all stain of original sin.” - Ineffabilis Deus
The mystery of Our Lady’s perpetual virginity.
In a sense it almost seems indiscreet to ponder, and being a mystery of faith, perhaps even beyond expression. St. John Chrysostom said as much in his homily for Christmas morning:
“Though I know that a Virgin this day gave birth, and I believe that God was begotten before all time, yet the manner of this generation I have learned to venerate in silence, and I accept that this is not to be probed too curiously with wordy speech. For with God we look not for the order of nature, but rest our faith in the power of Him who works.” - St. John Chrysostom
Photo: Venerable Mary of Agreda, incorrupt.
I have pondered this mystery over and over, full of wonder and awe. I recall my skepticism once, upon reading Mary of Agreda’s account of the birth of our Lord, how the Lord mysteriously, miraculously, ’passed’ through the womb of Mary and was found lying upon the floor of the stable or something. I wondered how such a birth could be. Of course, we are bound to believe that Mary gave birth to our Lord while remaining a virgin - her virginity intact. This mystery also implies that Our Lady, being the Immaculate Conception and therefore not bound under the penalty of original sin, was in addition, not subject to the pains of giving birth either.
“Like light passing through glass.”
I can’t remember who wrote that the birth of our Lord occurred as light passing through glass, a statement which accords well with Ven. Mary of Agreda’s account. I suspect not a whole lot of people really consider this aspect of the Virgin Birth. Indeed, there are many Christians who no longer accept this teaching and insist that the Mother of God gave birth to Jesus Christ in the same manner any other woman gives birth. But that is not the case. Though we may not know or understand precisely how Our Lady remained a Virgin during birth, and therefore after as before, it is a dogma of faith we must believe.
In an allocution given by Pope John Paul II, the Holy Father addressed this very topic:
“Pope St Hormisdas explains that “the Son of God became Son of man, born in time in the manner of a man, opening his mother’s womb to birth [cf. Lk 2:23] and, through God’s power, not dissolving his mother’s virginity” (DS 368). This doctrine was confirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which states that the firstborn Son of Mary “did not diminish his Mother’s virginal integrity but sanctified it” (Lumen gentium, n. 57).” - The Church Presents Mary As Ever Virgin
And then from an earlier Council:
“If anyone does not properly and truly confess in accord with the holy Fathers, that the holy Mother of God and ever Virgin and immaculate Mary in the earliest of the ages conceived of the Holy Spirit without seed, namely, God the Word Himself specifically and truly, who was born of God the Father before all ages, and that she incorruptibly bore [him], her virginity remaining indestructible even after His birth, let him be condemned.” - First Lateran Council, 649 A.D..
I think I may go back and try reading Mary of Agreda for Advent.
December 2nd, 2007 at 6:43 pm
Being a virgin means that one has never had sexual contact. Since Jesus was conceived in Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit, how she gave birth should be irrelevant to her virginal status. If one considers only whether the hymen is intact or not, it really doesn’t mean very much, since a girl can be injured by an accident or during medical treatment. It is also possible for the hymen to remain intact even though sex has taken place.
How did Mary give birth and how did it affect her body? None of our business. We need instead to meditate on her purity of heart and how sin never separated her soul from God in the slightest degree.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Melody - “Ahz don’t know nothin’ ’bout birthn’ babies!”
I’m simply reflecting on a dogma of faith - “Virgin before, during, and after.” Which is what iconographers proclaim when they paint the stars on the veil of the Mother of God.
Datz all mama.
December 2nd, 2007 at 7:19 pm
You are correct, Terry, and what you said about the miraculous birth of Our Lord, passing out of the womb of the Virgin as light through the glass, was an ancient teaching of the Fathers of the Church. There were many scriptural references that the Fathers used to defend the fact that Our Lady was always a virgo intacta, especially the way Our Lord rose from the dead. He left the tomb although the stone blocked the entrance. This can be read in any serious book on Our Lady, especially anything by St Alphonsus or St Francis de Sales.
December 2nd, 2007 at 8:06 pm
I believe absolutely that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Our Lord. I’m just saying that this would be true whether He was born in the normal way or “as light passing through glass”.
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:06 pm
I, too, ponder the perpetual Virginity of Our Sweet Mother all the time when saying the rosary— I love to think of Our Mother and always delight and never lose interest in thinking of her glories—
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Dear Terry, Your humility in the face of the mystery gives me joy! And Maria of Agreda for Advent? Why not?
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:37 pm
Ven Mary of Agreda can be read on line:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/7194/contents.html
December 2nd, 2007 at 9:59 pm
Susan - Thanks so much for that! Did you know Ven. Solanus Casey read Maria of Agreda upon his knees? I also have known many Carmelite nuns who read her.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:51 am
Terry, I’ve pondered this many times. I often wonder if the Blessed Mother experienced pain in childbirth. I understand the reasoning behind the thought that she didn’t experience pain since she was sinless, but then I remember that Christ did suffer physical pain in His walk to Calvary. But maybe that’s not the same kind of physical pain(?). In the end it doesn’t matter. I believe in faith what the Church teaches.
December 3rd, 2007 at 7:53 am
No, I didn’t know that about Ven Solanus Casey—–
Did you notice the last paragraph of the Holy Father’s encyclical “Spe Salvi” that he speaks TO Mary and says in a communal way—”and now Mary we cry to thee”—and then speaks to her?
That’s really meaningful for he shows his belief, which of course he possesses, but none -the- less it is wonderful to see displayed, that Our Holy Mother is alive and hears us and we, the Mystical Body of Christ, including the Holy Father, pray together to her, for her assistance. If during the “holiday season” one is tempted to believe that they are bereft of all family, a contemplation of this belonging to the Mystical Body which includes Our Holy Father, a most noble man, would do much to hearten the spirit and of course, contemplating that we are loved by the finest Mother, Mary, as if we were her only child (St. Louis de Montfort)—would so hearten the soul that we wouldn’t care if we died alone, abandoned by all people.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:00 am
A few people think that Our Lady’s Immaculate Conception refers to the virgin birth, yet the virgin birth specifically refers to Christ’s conception and birth, not Mary’s.
I would be among those ignorant about this. I was even confirmed not knowing this AND with the goofy notion that Jesus alone was conceived without sin. CCD in the 70s did NOT teach young Catholics a lick.
My Protestant friends argue that Mary and Joseph had normal marital relations after Jesus was born, Mary was not a “perpetual virgin” and that she gave birth like any other mother. My MIL is one and she gets more hot under the collar in discussions about Mary than just about any other subject…which always amuses me.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:04 am
Wrong quote from “Spe Salvi”—should read: “So we cry to her”….and then continues with the Holy Father conversing with Our Lady.
December 3rd, 2007 at 8:09 am
There is a whole lot more in Sister Mary Agreda to ponder as well including her discourse on the Immaculate Conception.
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/7194/book1c6.html
The book may be read in Spanish for those so inclined:
http://es.geocities.com/micidios/mcdioslib1.htm
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:31 am
The Spanish text in MS Word format may be downloaded from here:
http://www.iteadjmj.com/LIBROSW/librosw.htm
December 5th, 2007 at 9:14 am
Terry,
I would like to add that in the East, the conception of St Anne was seen as a miracle. The tropar and kontakia for the day are quite telling on this:
The Tropar reads:
“Today the bonds of barrenness are loosed;/ for God listened to Joachim and Anna./ He promised them - although it was beyond hope -/ that they should bear a divine child./ From this child was born incarnate the Infinite God,/ Who told the Angel to cry to her:/ Rejoice, full of grace; the Lord is with th”
The kontakia reads:
“Today creation celebrates Anna’s conception which was effected by God./ For she conceived the Maiden who conceived the Word/ Who is beyond all words.”
Now, as regards the painlessness of the birth of Christ, prophecy said this would be the case (Isaiah 66:5-16). What then are we do to with the vision in the Apocalypse (Rev 12)? While the Apocalypse discusses her “birth pains,” this is usually understood to reflect the “sword” she is to experience at Christ’s crucifixion.
Interestingly enough, not only did the Fathers think she gave birth as you described, many thought if humanity had not falen, it would have been the norm (and there would have been reproduction, as God said be fruitful and multiply).
December 7th, 2007 at 9:45 am
You said you weren’t certain of the origin of the “like light through a pane of glass”
I’m almost certain I recall reading this from Gibbon, “[they] believed that the Divinity shone through Mary like sunlight though a pane of glass.”