Is the Holy Spirit at Immaculate Conception Masculine or Feminine?

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StMike633

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I have always wondered how we should understand the metaphorical role of the Holy Spirit in Immaculate Conception. My assumption has been that the Holy Sprit's role is symbolically masculine. Catholic teaching refers to the Holy Spirit as Mary's spouse because of her perpetual virginity and relationship to God.

This assumption was challenged recently as I read Luke 1:35:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (NIV)

This article proposes an alternative interpretation to this. Instead of describing one divine act, it is describing two. The first is an act of the Holy Spirit empowering Mary for immaculate conception. It is characteristic of a mother-in-law's relationship to the bride before the night of the wedding. The post uses a Jewish mikvah bathing ritual as the foundation for this metaphor. The second is an act of God the Father metaphorically consummating the spousal relationship with Mary.

Do people think this is a valid interpretation? Is the Holy Spirit feminine, and does the metaphorical title of mother-in-law subvert the Trinity?
 

Prayer Warrior

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I have always wondered how we should understand the metaphorical role of the Holy Spirit in Immaculate Conception. My assumption has been that the Holy Sprit's role is symbolically masculine. Catholic teaching refers to the Holy Spirit as Mary's spouse because of her perpetual virginity and relationship to God.

This assumption was challenged recently as I read Luke 1:35:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (NIV)

This article proposes an alternative interpretation to this. Instead of describing one divine act, it is describing two. The first is an act of the Holy Spirit empowering Mary for immaculate conception. It is characteristic of a mother-in-law's relationship to the bride before the night of the wedding. The post uses a Jewish mikvah bathing ritual as the foundation for this metaphor. The second is an act of God the Father metaphorically consummating the spousal relationship with Mary.

Do people think this is a valid interpretation? Is the Holy Spirit feminine, and does the metaphorical title of mother-in-law subvert the Trinity?
Hi, Mike, welcome to the forum!

I don’t believe that the Holy Spirit is feminine or masculine. The masculine pronoun, He, is used with the Holy Spirit, but this could be English grammar at work, at least traditional grammar. When the gender is not known, it’s been proper to use masculine pronouns.
 

theefaith

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PW is quite right

but you are confusing the immaculate conception with the miraculous conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit

the immaculate conception Lk 1:49 refers to conception of Mary in her mother’s womb free of original sin.
 

Truman

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I have always wondered how we should understand the metaphorical role of the Holy Spirit in Immaculate Conception. My assumption has been that the Holy Sprit's role is symbolically masculine. Catholic teaching refers to the Holy Spirit as Mary's spouse because of her perpetual virginity and relationship to God.

This assumption was challenged recently as I read Luke 1:35:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (NIV)

This article proposes an alternative interpretation to this. Instead of describing one divine act, it is describing two. The first is an act of the Holy Spirit empowering Mary for immaculate conception. It is characteristic of a mother-in-law's relationship to the bride before the night of the wedding. The post uses a Jewish mikvah bathing ritual as the foundation for this metaphor. The second is an act of God the Father metaphorically consummating the spousal relationship with Mary.

Do people think this is a valid interpretation? Is the Holy Spirit feminine, and does the metaphorical title of mother-in-law subvert the Trinity?
"Let us make man in Our image." Genesis 1:26
"Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one." Deuteronomy 6:4
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. 2 Corinthians 13:14
God speaks the Word, the Breath makes it heard.
The Holy Spirit is God, Adam was made in God's image, Eve was taken from Adam, who was God's image.
If you cannot see this, ask God to give you revelatory insight into it.
God took material from Adam and made the woman, Eve, out of it.
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Angelina

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I have always wondered how we should understand the metaphorical role of the Holy Spirit in Immaculate Conception. My assumption has been that the Holy Sprit's role is symbolically masculine. Catholic teaching refers to the Holy Spirit as Mary's spouse because of her perpetual virginity and relationship to God.

This assumption was challenged recently as I read Luke 1:35:

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." (NIV)

This article proposes an alternative interpretation to this. Instead of describing one divine act, it is describing two. The first is an act of the Holy Spirit empowering Mary for immaculate conception. It is characteristic of a mother-in-law's relationship to the bride before the night of the wedding. The post uses a Jewish mikvah bathing ritual as the foundation for this metaphor. The second is an act of God the Father metaphorically consummating the spousal relationship with Mary.

Do people think this is a valid interpretation? Is the Holy Spirit feminine, and does the metaphorical title of mother-in-law subvert the Trinity?
Very difficult to discuss this with you bro @StMike633. Particularly when you already believe things that I do not. For instance, you say that Mary has perpetual virginity and yet we can see by scripture that she had other children with Joseph after Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. If the Holy Spirit can make a baby [Jesus, savior of the world] be born into the world through a lowly servant girl, then surely he can do anything....
 
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