The 'blessed virgin Mary'

[robert derrick]

answer the questions

from the “Bible alone”. what is the Bible?

Been there and done that ad nauseam.

I no longer waste my time foolishly arguing over 'what the Bible is', with them that hold to another religion's 'Sacred' traditions over Scripture of God.

You got your religion's stuff, and I have the Bible.

We'll just keep it at that.

 

[Philip James]

As I said: "There are no Sacred traditions of the apostles of Jesus Christ. Only the traditions of the gospel

Dismissing St.Paul's words?
Why? Because they don't fit your narrative?

Here of course is one of the central Traditions of the apostles...

Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.

For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him.


Perhaps you should explore what we really teach and believe rather than continuing to spout lies about the Catholic faith.

I'll leave you to your delusions..

 

[theefaith]

from the “Bible alone”. what is the Bible?

Been there and done that ad nauseam.

I no longer waste my time foolishly arguing over 'what the Bible is', with them that hold to another religion's 'Sacred' traditions over Scripture of God.

You got your religion's stuff, and I have the Bible.

We'll just keep it at that.

you can only know by the teaching authority of the apostles

 

[farouk]

I just wanna know:

Why does Mary have to be immaculate? Why did it take so long for the church to adopt this? (1854)

Do you believe in the Assumption? Why was this not accepted as official till the last century (1950)

Do you believe the Eucharist is flesh and blood? Do you believe that Christ is sacrificed each time you take the Eucharist? I know the story of the first Lord's supper, when He said eat; this is My body, and drink; this is My blood, He was not yet sacrificed Himself so those must be symbols

And the Bible says that Jesus died once for us.
Heb. 7:27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 10:12
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God;

@Cassandra A verse by verse study of Hebrews can indeed show that so much of what the professing church says is truth is actually man-made tradition. I do love Hebrews...wonderful to see how in Hebrews the Lord Jesus in His offices and titles and work is "better" - a keyword - than anything that went before or ever could be!

 

[Mungo]

I just wanna know:

Why does Mary have to be immaculate? Why did it take so long for the church to adopt this? (1854)

I'll take this one first.

Why does Mary have to be immaculate?

Answer:
1. Because of the effects of original sin.
One effect is that we lost the original holiness that Adam and Eve were given at creation. Their sin affected all future generations.
Mary needed a saviour (Lk 1:47) to save her from those effects at her conception.
If she had not been saved from them then Jesus would have needed a saviour to save him from those effects.
As Job said: Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. (Job 14:4)

2. Scripture says: “holiness befits thy house, O Lord, for evermore” (Ps 93:5). Mary was Jesus’ “house” for 9 months so if holiness befits God’s house would not Mary be holy also? Just like the Ark and the Tabernacle she was set apart and consecrated to the Lord, the holy dwelling of God.
There is more could be said about Mary's immaculate conception.

Why did it take so long for the church to adopt this? (1854)

Answer:
It was not formally made a dogma of the Church until 1854 but that does not mean the doctrine was not believed before then. Here are some quotes from the early Church that show that(there are more)

He was the ark formed of incorruptible wood. For by this is signified that His tabernacle was exempt from putridity and corruption." Hippolytus, Orations Inillud, Dominus pascit me (ante A.D. 235).

"This Virgin Mother of the Only-begotten of God, is called Mary, worthy of God, immaculate of the immaculate, one of the one." Origen, Homily 1(A.D. 244).

"Let woman praise Her, the pure Mary." Ephraim, Hymns on the Nativity, 15:23 (A.D. 370).

 

[Mungo]

Do you believe in the Assumption? Why was this not accepted as official till the last century (1950)

Yes, I believe in the Assumption of Mary.

It was not formally made a dogma of the Church until 1950 but that does not mean the doctrine was not believed before then. Here are some quotes from the early Church that show that (there are more)

"If therefore it might come to pass before the power of your grace, it has appeared right to us your servants that, as you, having overcome death does reign in glory, so you should raise up the body of your mother and take her with you, rejoicing into heaven. Then said the Savior [Jesus]: 'Be it done according to your will" (Pseudo-Melito The Passing of the Virgin 16:2-17; 300 AD).

"Therefore the Virgin is immortal to this day, seeing that he who had dwelt in her transported her to the regions of her assumption" (Timothy of Jerusalem Homily on Simeon and Anna; 400 AD).

"And from that time forth all knew that the spotless and precious body had been transferred to paradise" (John the Theologian, The Falling Asleep of Mary; 400 AD)

 

[Marymog]

Hardly!

Are you being serious?



Much love!

It is a question I hadn’t thought of at all. God created Adam from the dirt of the earth. I suspect that is why we call the earth “Mother”.

 

[Mungo]

If that is true, shouldn't Mary's mother be immaculate? And her mother? And her mother?




Mary being the house is a bit of a stretch
Mary needed a saviour because we all do. Her saviour is Jesus.

Indeed, Jesus was her saviour also; but in a different way to us by the special grace of God.

 

[JohnPaul]

I have no objection to referring to Mary as the blessed virgin Mary, because every saint in Christ Jesus presented to the Lord, shall be a blessed and chaste virgin (2 Cor 11:2).

All that abide in Christ therefore can be fairly addressed as the blessed virgin 'so and so'.

The only One in heaven that is and ever shall be noticeably and visibly distinct from all others is Jesus, who stands as a slain Lamb in the midst of the throne(Rev 5), i.e. the prints and marks of His crucifixion shall remain in His resurrected body for all to see, as a perpetual reminder of His cross.

Other than Himself, the 12 Apostles of the Lamb, aside from Judas and including Paul, shall be specially remembered in the foundation stones of heavenly New Jerusalem, having their names written in them. Likewise the names of the 12 tribes of Israel shall be remembered by being written on the gates of the that City.

Other than these examples, I see no other blessed saint with Jesus in heaven that is recognized by God as 'special' to Himself and His ministry. None shall be better or worse, higher or lower, honored more or less, nor specially named than any other...

Does anyone know why believers in Jesus are so intent on falsely making Mary a 'perpetual' virgin on earth after she gave birth to Jesus? I know it is a false teaching and woefully vain worshipping, but my question is why?

Because it was an immaculate conception through God Almighty, that’s why Mary is the blessed Virgin, there was no intercourse, it was a miracle through God, that is why our Lord Jesus Christ was born without sin.

 

[Mungo]

If that is true, shouldn't Mary's mother be immaculate? And her mother? And her mother?

Why do you think that was necessary?
It was necessary for Mary as I explained in post #646.

 

[Mungo]

Even thought as you say God miraculously did it for Mary ( made her immaculate,) then why couldn't he have just done it for Jesus?

Because, as I have already pointed out, then Jesus would have need a saviour.

It seem to me that for the thing to work, since you quoted this verse " Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? There is not one. (Job 14:4)" that Mary's mother must also be immaculate(d). If He did a work in Mary, He could've done a work in Jesus. I don't understand.

Mary could be conceived immaculately by a special grace of God that flows from the victory of Jesus over sin.

One problem that we have in discussing many topics is that the discussion starts in the wrong place. With Mary this is usually some doctrine or title of Mary. But the Catholic Church says in the Catechism:
What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ. (CCC 487)

We need to start with Christ, as does the Catechism in it's article on Gen 3:15, what it calls the Protoevangelium ("first gospel"):
The Christian tradition sees in this passage an announcement of the "New Adam" who, because he "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross", makes amends superabundantly for the disobedience, of Adam. Furthermore many Fathers and Doctors of the Church have seen the woman announced in the "Proto-evangelium" as Mary, the mother of Christ, the "new Eve". Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life. (CCC 411)

Understanding Jesus as the "New Adam" (1Cor 15:45&47, Rom 5:18-19) leads to an understanding of Mary as the "New Eve".
The first Adam was created without sin; the New Adam was conceived without sin.
The first Eve was created without sin; the New Eve was conceived without sin.

As the Catechism says many writers in the early Church saw this parallel between Eve and Mary.

 

[theefaith]

I just wanna know:

Why does Mary have to be immaculate? Why did it take so long for the church to adopt this? (1854)

Do you believe in the Assumption? Why was this not accepted as official till the last century (1950)

;

Welcome
Hope we can share scriptural understanding

the doctrines are revealed by Christ to his church in the deposit of faith Jude 1:3 also eph 4:5 but first the apostles had to establish doctrine concerning Christ then later the other doctrine some are still believed but not defined but all are given in the sacred deposit of faith.
The apostles are weild the two edge sword: to define and proclaim the truth! And to condemn all errors!
To teach the nations Matt 28:18 Lk 1:4
Acts 8

Why did the ark of the covenant have to be holy? Cos it was the dwelling place of God!
And Mary the ark of the new covenant is God’s dwelling place for nine months!

Ark of the new covenant!
The dwelling place of God!
God dwelt in Mary’s womb for 9 months, remember the ark was incorruptible wood covered with pure gold signifying Mary’s immaculate purity!
read exodus or any place in the Old Testament where something came into contact with God or was consecrated to the service of God it had to be pure and Holy!
In the ark was the word of God!
In Mary the new ark is the living Word!
In the ark was the mana!
In Mary was the bread come down from heaven! Jn 6
Bethlehem means house to of bread!

Lk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

Matt 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, (Isa 7:14) and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Jn 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

A good tree!

Matthew 7:18
A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

The fruit of the tree of Mary is our salvation! Lk 2:30 Jesus is our salvation!
Lk 1:30 Mary found our salvation!

Biblical Mary:

Mother of God Lk 1:43

Immaculate conception (sinless) gen 3:15 enmity or total war none of satans works are found in Mary
Also Lk 1:28 full of grace lk 1:49 great things plural (immaculate conception of Mary and the miraculous conception of Jesus) Rev12:1 woman clothed with the sun. Immaculate purity

Lk 1:30 found favor with God (the salvation lost by Adam) mother of our salvation Lk 2:30

Perpetual Virgin Isa 7:14 matt 1:21
Lk 1:31-34

 

[theefaith]

But Eve is not considered in the salvation process. In Adam all die
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I Cor 15:22

As for Immaculate Conception, you quote Gen 3:15

In your Bible, it says “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”
However in Protestant Bibles, it says this:
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." There is no she.

I have no problem with Isa 7:14

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Mary was a virgin when she had Him.
But Matthew 1:25 says this "And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus." He knew her not until means he knew her after that.



And this part is very perplexing
Luke 11:27-29
"27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."


So, looks like from this that Mary is on the same level as others who hear and keep the word. This is why she needs a saviour too.

Eve cooperated in the fall
Mary cooperated in bringing our salvation Lk 1:30 found our salvation lost by Adam
Consented to our salvation Lk 1:38
Mother of our salvation Lk 2:30

Lk 11 Jesus is glorifying his mother for doing the will of God

see Lk 1:45

it’s about who Christ is and about what God has done Lk 1:49

 

[marks]

It is a question I hadn’t thought of at all. God created Adam from the dirt of the earth. I suspect that is why we call the earth “Mother”.

From my background in new agism and Wicca, I think it has more to do with crediting Mother Earth with our sustainence. Gaia and all that.

Much love!

 

[theefaith]

From my background in new agism and Wicca, I think it has more to do with crediting Mother Earth with our sustainence. Gaia and all that.

Much love!

That’s of the world and evil not scripture

 

[theefaith]

There is holy mother church

 

[Mungo]

As for Immaculate Conception, you quote Gen 3:15

In your Bible, it says “I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.”
However in Protestant Bibles, it says this:
"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." There is no she.

There is no "she" in my Catholic Bible either.
So what is your point?

I have no problem with Isa 7:14

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." Mary was a virgin when she had Him.
But Matthew 1:25 says this "And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus." He knew her not until means he knew her after that.

No it doesn't The Greek heos translated until or till implies nothing about what happens afterwards. Neither does the English until or till. It is just a time marker to denote a span of time between which something significant happened.

And this part is very perplexing
Luke 11:27-29
"27 And it came to pass, as he spake these things, a certain woman of the company lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked.

28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."


So, looks like from this that Mary is on the same level as others who hear and keep the word. This is why she needs a saviour too.

It's not perplexing at all unless you are looking for things to denigrate Mary.
Who more that Mary fully heard the word of God and kept them?
How many other women conceived and bore God in their womb?

In God’s plan of salvation he picked out certain people to have a special role. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David and others. God chose them, though they had to freely accept their role, and God gave them special graces to fulfil that role. Mary is another such person and we know she was given great grace. The angel Gabriel addressed her as “full of grace”. Yet Mary was given an even greater role that the others, the unique role of bearing the Son of God in her womb.

She was chosen by the Father to bear His only begotten Son. In that exalted role, Mary is the first person in all history to receive and accept Christ as her Saviour. You and I are called to enthrone the Lord in our hearts and lives, to follow her example in doing so. Early in Christian history she is called "the first of the redeemed".

 

[Mungo]

But Eve is not considered in the salvation process. In Adam all die
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. I Cor 15:22

Adam is not considered in the salvation process.
Adam is considered in relation to the Fall and bringing death into the world.
Eve was involved in that process. She ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to Adam to eat. They acted together.
Eve was punished along with Adam.
Moreover Early Jewish writers considered Eve's implication. For example this from Sirach (in the Catholic Bible and the Septuagint):
From a woman sin had its beginning, and because of her we all die. (Sir 25:24)

 

[theefaith]

Perpetual Virginity of Mary!

Mary conceived "without any detriment to her virginity, which remained inviolate even after his birth" (apostolic Council of the Lateran, 649) with the jurisdictional authority of Peter and the apostles in holy council! Matt 16:18 18:18 Jn 20:21-23 eph 2:20 bound on earth bound in heaven!

The Bible never says anyone is a biological child of Mary accept for Jesus Christ!

And the Bible says Her child is holy! And Her child is God!

Is 7:14 God provides a sign, a Virgin shall conceive and bear a son! (Singular, one son)

Ezekiel 44:2 “This gate shall remain shut; it shall not be opened, and no one shall enter by it; for the Lord, the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut.”

Song of Solomon 4:12 A garden inclosed is my sister, my spouse; a spring shut up, a fountain sealed.

(Mary had become the dwelling place of the Almighty, like the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament. Mary was a vessel consecrated to God alone?)

Matt 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

(The Bible says only the Holy Ghost conceived in Mary)

Matt 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
(A son singular) (only Jesus is savior)

Lk 1:28 Hail Mary, full of Grace, the Lord is with thee!

Blessed art thou amongst all women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
(The fruit of Her womb is blessed and holy)

Lk 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
(A son, singular)

Lk 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
(This verse imply’s a vow of perpetual virginity, She refuses even the exalted dignity of mother of God and mother of our savior if it means violating Her vow of perpetual virginity)

Lk 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
(Her son is God)

Matt 1:25 He knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.

2 Samuel 6:23 tells us: Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child UNTIL the day of her death.

Are we to assume that Michal had children after she died?

Until only states that they had no relation up to that point, the Bible does not say they had sex ever, before or after that point!

First born does not imply a second born. An only child is still first born!

The Bible says Joseph a just and therefore a chaste man, it does not say he has gone into Mary anywhere in scripture, 2 Sam 12:24 And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the Lord loved him. Never says this about a Joseph, for He was full of fear and reverence for Her immaculate purity and holiness! Especially after hearing from an angel that her child was of the Holy Spirit!



Brothers and sisters of Jesus?

They are not the children of Mary!

Is 7:14 a virgin shall conceive and bear a son!
(One son, singular)

James is the son of zebedee, and the other James is the son of Alpheus not Joseph!
Matt 10:2-3

In Hebrew culture any close relative can be called brother or sister, lot was called Abraham’s brother but was his nephew.

Gen 12:5 and Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son..

Gen 13:8 And Abram said unto Lot, Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my herdsmen and thy herdsmen; for we are Brothers.

The 12 sons of Jacob are brothers but all are not the children of Leah and all are not the children of Rachel! They had 4 mother’s, These may be brothers but they are simply not the children of One mother and the brothers of Jesus are not the children of Mary!

Jose’s, Simon Salome are children of another Mary!

Mk 15:40 There were also women looking on afar off: among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses, and Salome;

Is Mary the mother of James?
If you mean the Blessed Virgin Mary then no. Her sister-in-law, Mary of Clopas, was the wife of Alphaeus (St. Joseph's brother), and mother of Simon, Joseph, and the apostles Judas Thaddeus, and James (the Less, brother of the Lord): Jesus' cousins.

The "sisters" of Jesus refer to women disciples

Salome, or Mary Salome, was the wife of Zebedee, and mother of apostles John (the beloved), and James (the greater).


Regarding Mat. 13:55 and Mk. 6:3, two of the four "brethren" are James and Judas of Alphaeus (cf. Mat. 10:2-3, Lk. 6:15-16, Act. 1:13). The third, Joseph, is identified in Mk. 15:40 as the brother of James of Alphaeus. The fourth, Simon, is identified in Mat. 13:55 and Mk. 6:3 as the brother of Joseph, James, and Judas of Alphaeus. Therefore, all four are were the sons of Alphaeus, not St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary.

When Jesus was twelve they went up to Jerusalem, the holy family, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Where are the brothers and sisters?

Jesus on the cross gives His mother to John, why? Why not James or a brother? Perhaps the law of Moses requires a mother to be given to the next oldest son? Because he was an only Son!
Only begotten of the Father, only begotten of the Mother.

Only God can be born of a Virgin-mother!

 

[theefaith]

Martin Luther

It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a virgin. … Christ, we believe, came forth from a womb left perfectly intact. (Weimer’s The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v. 11, pp. 319-320; v. 6. p. 510.)

John Calvin

(On the Heretic Helvidius) Helvidius displayed excessive ignorance in concluding that Mary must have had many sons, because Christ’s “brothers” are sometimes mentioned. (Harmony of Matthew, Mark and Luke, sec. 39 [Geneva, 1562], vol. 2 / From Calvin’s Commentaries, translated by William Pringle, Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 1949, p.215; on Matthew 13:55)

[On Matt 1:25:] The inference he [Helvidius] drew from it was, that Mary remained a virgin no longer than till her first birth, and that afterwards she had other children by her husband . . . No just and well-grounded inference can be drawn from these words . . . as to what took place after the birth of Christ. He is called “first-born”; but it is for the sole purpose of informing us that he was born of a virgin . . . What took place afterwards the historian does not inform us . . . No man will obstinately keep up the argument, except from an extreme fondness for disputation. (Pringle, ibid., vol. I, p. 107)

Under the word “brethren” the Hebrews include all cousins and other relations, whatever may be the degree of affinity. (Pringle, ibid., vol. I, p. 283 / Commentary on John, [7:3])

John Wesley

‘I believe that He [Jesus] was made man, joining the human nature with the divine in one person; being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who, as well after as before she brought Him forth, continued a pure and unspotted virgin’ (‘Letter to a Roman Catholic’, The Works of Rev. John Wesley, vol 10, p. 81).


St Augustine, Sermons 186.1 (early 5th century):

“In being born of a Virgin who chose to remain a Virgin even before she knew who was to be born of her, Christ wanted to approve virginity rather than to impose it. And he wanted virginity to be of free choice even in that woman in whom he took upon himself the form of a slave” (Holy Virginity 4:4 [A.D. 401]).

“It was not the visible sun, but its invisible Creator who consecrated this day for us, when the Virgin Mother, fertile of womb and integral in her virginity, brought him forth, made visible for us, by whom, when he was invisible, she too was created. A Virgin conceiving, a Virgin bearing, a Virgin pregnant, a Virgin bringing forth, a Virgin perpetual. Why do you wonder at this, O man?” (Sermons 186:1 [A.D. 411]).

“Heretics called Antidicomarites are those who contradict the perpetual virginity of Mary and affirm that after Christ was born she was joined as one with her husband” (Heresies 56 [A.D. 428]).

St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, III.28.3 (13th century):

"Without any hesitation we must abhor the error of Helvidius, who dared to assert that Christ's Mother, after His Birth, was carnally known by Joseph, and bore other children.

For, in the first place, this is derogatory to Christ's perfection: for as He is in His Godhead the Only-Begotten of the Father, being thus His Son in every respect perfect, so it was becoming that He should be the Only-begotten son of His Mother, as being her perfect offspring.

“Secondly, this error is an insult to the Holy Ghost, whose "shrine" was the virginal womb, wherein He had formed the flesh of Christ: wherefore it was unbecoming that it should be desecrated by intercourse with man.

“Thirdly, this is derogatory to the dignity and holiness of God's Mother: for thus she would seem to be most ungrateful, were she not content with such a Son; and were she, of her own accord, by carnal intercourse to forfeit that virginity which had been miraculously preserved in her.

“Fourthly, it would be tantamount to an imputation of extreme presumption in Joseph, to assume that he attempted to violate her whom by the angel's revelation he knew to have conceived by the Holy Ghost.

“We must therefore simply assert that the Mother of God, as she was a virgin in conceiving Him and a virgin in giving Him birth, did she remain a virgin ever afterwards."

The blessed Mary mother of God, is a perpetual virgin to the glory of God!