Article 1. Whether the Blessed Virgin was sanctified before her birth from the womb?
Objection 1. It would seem that the
Blessed Virgin was not sanctified before her birth from the womb. For the
Apostle says (
1 Corinthians 15:46): "That was not first which is
spiritual but that which is
natural; afterwards that which is
spiritual." But by
sanctifying grace man is born spiritually into a son of
God according to
John 1:13: "(who) are born of
God." But birth from the womb is a
natural birth. Therefore the
Blessed Virgin was not sanctified before her birth from the womb.
Objection 2. Further,
Augustine says (Ep. ad Dardan.): "The sanctification, by which we become temples of
God, is only of those who are born again." But no one is born again, who was not born previously. Therefore the
Blessed Virgin was not sanctified before her birth from the womb.
Objection 3. Further, whoever is sanctified by
grace is cleansed from
sin, both original and actual. If, therefore, the
Blessed Virgin was sanctified before her birth from the womb, it follows that she was then cleansed from
original sin. Now nothing but
original sin could hinder her from entering the heavenly kingdom. If therefore she had died then, it seems that she would have entered the gates of
heaven. But this was not possible before the
Passion of Christ, according to the
Apostle (
Hebrews 10:19): "We have [
Vulgate: 'having'] therefore a confidence in the entering into the Holies by His blood." It seems therefore that the
Blessed Virgin was not sanctified before her birth from the womb.
Objection 4. Further,
original sin is contracted through the origin, just as actual
sin is contracted through an act. But as long as one is in the act of
sinning, one cannot be cleansed from actual
sin. Therefore neither could the
Blessed Virgin be cleansed from
original sin as long as she was in the act of origin, by
existence in her mother's womb.
On the contrary, The Church celebrates the
feast of our Lady's Nativity. Now the
Church does not celebrate feasts except of those who are
holy. Therefore even in her birth the
Blessed Virgin was
holy. Therefore she was sanctified in the womb.
I answer that, Nothing is handed down in the
canonical Scriptures concerning the sanctification of the Blessed Mary as to her being sanctified in the womb; indeed, they do not even mention her birth. But as
Augustine, in his tractate on the
Assumption of the Virgin, argues with reason, since her body was assumed into
heaven, and yet
Scripture does not relate this; so it may be reasonably argued that she was sanctified in the womb. For it is reasonable to
believe that she, who brought forth "the Only-Begotten of the Father full of
grace and
truth," received greater privileges of
grace than all others: hence we read (
Luke 1:28) that the
angel addressed her in the words: "Hail full of
grace!"
Moreover, it is to be observed that it was granted, by way of privilege, to others, to be sanctified in the womb; for instance, to
Jeremias, to whom it was said (
Jeremiah 1:5): "Before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee"; and again, to
John the Baptist, of whom it is written (
Luke 1:15): "He shall be filled with the
Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb." It is therefore with reason that we
believe the
Blessed Virgin to have been sanctified before her birth from the womb.
Reply to Objection 1. Even in the
Blessed Virgin, first was that which is
natural, and afterwards that which is
spiritual: for she was first conceived in the flesh, and afterwards sanctified in the spirit.
Reply to Objection 2. Augustine speaks according to the common
law, by reason of which no one is regenerated by the
sacraments, save those who are previously born. But
God did not so limit His power to the
law of the
sacraments, but that He can bestow His
grace, by special privilege, on some before they are born from the womb.
Reply to Objection 3. The
Blessed Virgin was sanctified in the womb from
original sin, as to the personal stain; but she was not freed from the guilt to which the whole
nature is subject, so as to enter into Paradise otherwise than through the Sacrifice of Christ; the same also is to be said of the Holy Fathers who lived before
Christ.
Reply to Objection 4. Original sin is transmitted through the origin, inasmuch as through the origin the
human nature is transmitted, and
original sin, properly speaking, affects the
nature. And this takes place when the off-spring conceived is animated. Wherefore nothing hinders the offspring conceived from being sanctified after animation: for after this it remains in the mother's womb not for the purpose of receiving
human nature, but for a certain perfecting of that which it has already received.
Was the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, sanctified before her birth from the womb? Was she sanctified before animation? Was the fomes of sin entirely taken away from her in virtue of this sanctification? Was the result of this sanctification that she never sinned? In virtue of this...
www.newadvent.org