Is Mary Equal To Jesus
The Immaculate Conception DOES NOT mean or imply that Mary is “equal” to Jesus. This is a misunderstanding of our dogma. Jesus is still Mary’s Savior she is conceived immaculately by HIS grace and HIS power, not by her own. Indeed, does this Eastern Orthodox period have a problem with the early Church fathers calling Mary “the New Eve” –that is, the counterpart to Jesus, the New Adam? Does this make Mary “equal” to Jesus? Not at all. But, just as Jesus is the New Adam because He was the first man, since Adam before the Fall, to be totally without sin, so Mary is called the “New Eve” by the fathers because, like her Son, she too was totally without sin. This is precisely what we are saying via the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. Neither Jesus nor Mary were ever under the dominion of Satan. Rather, as Gen 3:15 says, both Jesus and Mary are in opposition to Satan, not the victims of Satan’s victory in the Garden of Eden:
“I will make enmity between you and THE WOMAN and between your seed and her Seed and He will strike at your head even as you strike at His heel .”
Here, in this first prophecy of the Messiah, both the Messiah AND HIS MOTHER are linked together in opposition to Satan. This is why Mary had to be conceived without sin. She is the promised woman of Genesis 3:15 –the woman made sinless so that she might be able to give birth to a sinless Messiah.
The Virgin Birth And Immaculate Conception Can Be Commonly Confused Yet Are Quite Distinct
This stained glass window depicts the Virgin Mary.
Shutterstock
Non-Catholics commonly confuse the idea of the Virgin Birth with the notion of the Immaculate Conception. However, the two are quite distinct. While the doctrine of the Virgin Birth teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin mother and, thus, was without an earthly father, the Immaculate Conception refers to the earthly origin of Mary herself.
The doctrine was first officially stated by Pope Pius IX on Dec. 8, 1854. We declare, pronounce and define, he wrote, in an encyclical titled Ineffabilis Deus , that the most blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, by the singular grace and privilege of the omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the saviour of mankind, and that this doctrine was revealed by God and therefore must be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.
Believers in the Immaculate Conception have found support for it in Genesis 3:15 and Luke 1:28. Clearly, though, it grows primarily out of subsequent Christian tradition rather than out of the biblical data. Already St. Justin Martyr and St. Irenaeus were calling Mary the new Eve, as a parallel to Pauls biblical description of Jesus as the new Adam. By the eighth century, in the Christian East, St. Andrew of Crete and St. John of Damascus were praising Marys perfect sinlessness.
Iberian Union Restoration And Early Brigantine Era
Portugal voluntarily entered a dynastic union between 1580 and 1640. This occurred because the last two kings of the King , who died in the in , and his great-uncle and successor, King- both died without heirs, resulting in the .
Subsequently, claimed the throne and was accepted as Philip I of Portugal. Portugal did not lose its formal independence, briefly forming a of kingdoms. At this time Spain was a . The joining of the two crowns deprived Portugal of an independent foreign policy and led to its involvement in the between Spain and the Netherlands.
War led to a deterioration of the relations with , and the loss of , a strategic trading post located between and . From 1595 to 1663 the primarily involved the Dutch companies invading many Portuguese and commercial interests in Brazil, Africa, India and the Far East, resulting in the loss of the Portuguese Indian sea trade monopoly.In 1640, spearheaded an uprising backed by disgruntled nobles and was proclaimed king. The ended the sixty-year period of the under the . This was the beginning of the , which reigned in Portugal until 1910.
Portuguese Sun King
Pedro II’s son, , saw a reign characterized by the influx of gold into the coffers of the royal treasury, supplied largely by the that was received from the of and .
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Dioceses Parishes Organisations And Institutes
Individual countries, regions, or major cities are served by particular churches known as dioceses in the Latin Church, or eparchies in the Eastern Catholic Churches, each overseen by a bishop. As of 2008, the Catholic Church has 2,795 dioceses. The bishops in a particular country are members of a national or regional episcopal conference.
Dioceses are divided into parishes, each with one or more priests, deacons, or lay ecclesial ministers. Parishes are responsible for the day to day celebration of the sacraments and pastoral care of the laity. As of 2016, there are 221,700 parishes worldwide.
In the Latin Church, Catholic men may serve as deacons or priests by receiving sacramental ordination. Men and women may serve as extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion, as readers ” rel=”nofollow”> lectors), or as altar servers. Historically, boys and men have only been permitted to serve as altar servers however, since the 1990s, girls and women have also been permitted.
Ordained Catholics, as well as members of the laity, may enter into consecrated life either on an individual basis, as a hermit or consecrated virgin, or by joining an institute of consecrated life in which to take vows confirming their desire to follow the three evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. Examples of institutes of consecrated life are the Benedictines, the Carmelites, the Dominicans, the Franciscans, the Missionaries of Charity, the Legionaries of Christ and the Sisters of Mercy.
Where Is Immaculate Conception In The Bible
Dec 4, 2021 | From The Pastor
WHERE IS IMMACULATE CONCEPTION IN THE BIBLE?
Acts of the Apostles 1:14
Brothers and Sisters,
We seem to always come back to the following question for every event in the Church: show me where in the Bible it says that. Please believe me when I write to you that the pages of Sacred Scripture and Holy Writ are essential tools for the Christian. I dont think that anyone will disagree with that statement heres the part that is tough for many people to accept: the Holy Faith is bigger than the Bible and there is more to Christianity than the Bible.
This is not controversial, and it is not a bold point it is not overreaching. Heres why: ask yourself where the Bible came from. Did Jesus give us the Bible before He was crucified or did Christ give us the Bible after the Crucifixion before He ascended into Heaven? Did the Holy Spirit drop the Bible out of the sky and the apostles caught it? No. The answer to all of those questions is no.
Where did the Bible come from, then? The Catholic Church gave us the Bible. After centuries of the Church giving us sacraments and teaching the Holy Faith to everyone it could, the Church compiled the Bible from the ancient Hebrew Scriptures and from the writings of the apostles after they had spent decades teaching the Holy Faith to everyone that they could .
God be near, and have a -Christmas.
Father Jeremy
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Islamic Period And The Reconquista
Today’s continental Portugal, along with most of modern Spain, was part of between 726 and 1249, following the conquest of the . This rule lasted from some decades in the North to five centuries in the South.
After defeating the in only a few months, the Umayyad Caliphate started expanding rapidly in the peninsula. Beginning in 726, the land that is now Portugal became part of the vast Umayyad Caliphate’s empire of , which stretched from the river in the Indian sub-continent up to the South of France, until its collapse in 750. That year the west of the empire gained its independence under with the establishment of the . After almost two centuries, the Emirate became the in 929, until its dissolution a century later in 1031 into no less than 23 small kingdoms, called kingdoms.
Germanic Kingdoms: Suebi And Visigoths
In the early 5th century, , namely the and the together with their allies, the and invaded the where they would form their kingdom. The was the Germanic post-Roman kingdom, established in the former Roman provinces of -. 5th-century vestiges of settlements were found in , and Lisbon.
The councils represented an advance in the organization of the territory and the of the pagan population under the auspices of .
After the death of Teodomiro, was his successor. During his reign, the 2nd Council of Braga was held.The Visigothic civil war began in 577. Miro intervened. Later in 583 he also organized an unsuccessful expedition to reconquer Seville. During the return from this failed operation Miro died.
In the Suebian Kingdom many internal struggles continued to take place. was dethroned by , who failed to prevent the Visigothic invasion led by Leovigildo. The Visigothic invasion, completed in 585, turned the once rich and fertile kingdom of the Suebi into the sixth province of the Gothic kingdom. was crowned King of Gallaecia, Hispania and .
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If God Had To Make Mary Clean Of Sin To Make A Pure Vessel For Jesus What Prevents That From Being Necessary For The Generations Before Her Also
An Evangelical wrote us saying:
…if Christ’s birth required a mother for whom was born without original sin, would Mary also not require this at her birth to achieve the same affect? If not, then it would appear logical to conclude that Christ was protected in the womb by the Holy Spirit from the stain of what, under these conditions, would be a sinful human, that is, Mary. If, however Mary would also require the purification of her own mother to avoid the stain of sin, then how far in the past must this process continue?
Most certainly God could have protected Jesus from sin while in the womb of Mary without protecting Mary from sin, but that would put him in enmity with his mother, which seems pretty far-fetched. His mother was going to be the one to nurse him and teach him and feed him. We have a biblical precedent for God wanting a pure vessel for the Word of God . We have biblical evidence that Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant.
We appreciate the kind of argument that says “well then every human being back to Eve would then need to be purified of original sin…” but then of course we wouldn’t need Jesus. The Lord made a pure vessel for the Word of the Lord made flesh, just like he made a pure vessel for the Word of the Lord made stone .
“…if God can simply imbue an individual with the ability to prevent original sin, why not simply bestow this upon all humans?”
Adam And Eve Were Conceived Without Sin Mary Is More Holy Than Eve
Scripture tells us that besides Jesus, God conceived two other humans without sin. They were Adam and Eve. They were conceived in a sinless state. Catholics believe that Mary is the new Eve.
| Eve |
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If God conceived Eve without sin, then we think it is logical that he also conceived Mary, who is many times more faithful and holy, without sin.
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Historical Timeline For The Doctrine Of The Immaculate Conception
Provided by our friend Mark Bonocore
| Year AD | |
|---|---|
| Pope Clement XI extends the December 8th feast of the Immaculate Conception to the entire Church. | |
| 1830 | The Virgin Mary appears to St. Catherine Laboure and introduces the Miraculous Medal, inscribed with the prayer: O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Due to the innumerable miracles and conversions attributed to the Miraculous Medal, devotion to Marys Immaculate Conception spreads throughout the Church. |
| 1854 | Pope Pius IX, in the constitution Ineffabilis Deus, declares the Immaculate Conception to be a formal dogma of the Catholic Church, thus bringing the theological debate to a close. |
| 1858 | St. Bernadette and the Marian apparitions of Lourdes, France. Mary reveals herself to St. Bernadette with the words, I am the Immaculate Conception, thus bestowing Heavens blessing on the new dogma. |
Also, of course the Popes remained neutral while the debate was taking place. This is what Popes are supposed to do while a theological issue is being debated in the Church. It was only once all doubts against the theology of the Immaculate Conception were removed that Pope Pius IX declared it to be a dogma.
What Is The Main Difference Between Belief In The Virgin Birth And Belief In The Immaculate Conception
Belief in the two teachings primarily differs in the reliability of their sources. Belief in the virgin birth is based on scriptural doctrine. You can go back to the book of Genesis, all the way through to Revelation and discover the reality of the God-man being the savior of the whole world. However, belief in the immaculate conception is based primarily on tradition and mans word. There is no biblical evidence for the immaculate conception of Mary, rather, the Roman Catholic Church seems to declare it based on speculation. We must keep in mind also that the immaculate conception was not even believed to be an infallible doctrine in the Roman Catholic Church until 1854. This in and of itself reinforces a belief of tradition and mans word over the valuing and upholding of Gods Word. As Christians, we must seek to uphold the value and truth of Gods word, as we will be held accountable for the knowledge we have attained .
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Latin And Eastern Churches
In the first thousand years of Catholic history, different varieties of Christianity developed in the Western and Eastern Christian areas of Europe. Though most Eastern-tradition churches are no longer in communion with the Catholic Church after the Great Schism of 1054, autonomous particular churches of both traditions currently participate, also known as “churches sui iuris” . The largest and most well known is the Latin Church, the only Western-tradition church, with more than 1 billion members worldwide. Relatively small in terms of adherents compared to the Latin Church, are the 23 self-governing Eastern Catholic Churches with a combined membership of 17.3 million as of 2010.
The Latin Church is governed by the pope and diocesan bishops directly appointed by him. The pope exercises a direct patriarchal role over the Latin Church, which is considered to form the original and still major part of Western Christianity, a heritage of certain beliefs and customs originating in Europe and northwestern Africa, some of which are inherited by many Christian denominations that trace their origins to the Protestant Reformation.
The Bible Says Mary Was A Sinner
When addressing the heresy of Marys sinlessness, the Christian can legitimately go to several places in Scripture.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God . The verse does not say that everyone but Mary has sinned.
None is righteous, no, not one no one understands no one seeks for God. All have turned aside together they have become worthless no one does good, not even one . The passage does not say Mary was good, but no one else was or is.
And my spirit rejoices in God my savior . Mary admitted her need for a savior. Had Mary been sinless, she would have no need for a savior.
But the coup de grace, the death blow to the Roman Catholic Churchs false notion that Mary was sinless is found in Luke 2:48.
And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress .
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The Doctrine Proclaimed As Infallible
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was proclaimed as infallible by Pope Pius IX in the bull Ineffabilis Deus in 1854, and thus is an important article of faith for Roman Catholics.
We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful.
Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, 1854
Before proclaiming the doctrine the Pope took steps to see whether the Church as a whole agreed by asking 603 bishops whether he should proclaim the Immaculate Conception 546 said that he should.
Bernadette’s vision at Lourdes in 1858, where Mary revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, put the stamp of God’s approval on the doctrine.