Mary’s virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord’s death escaped the notice of the prince of this world. This is from the CCC and St.Ignatius of Antioch in about 100 A.D. approximately.
The fact that the angels appeared first to the shepherds is profound. Even the devil (“the prince of this world”) missed it. Herod certainly missed it (even when the magi helped him, he and “all Jerusalem” were overjoyed? No! They were “troubled” – see Matthew 2:3).
God revealing Himself to the simple. Why? I don’t know but possibly because the simple are the ones who accept His “tugs” sometimes.
Just a meditation point from here on in this thread. This is another reason why people should study with due diligence, Mary’s Perpetual Virginity.
Mary’s Perpetual Virginity includes three aspects.
- The Virginal Conception
- The in partu inviolability of Mary when delivering Jesus (the actual Virginal Birth event)
- Mary’s subsequent Virginity
But what does Mary’s Perpetual Virginity have to do with all of this?
Because it gives us a better understanding of Jesus and it has to do with not only the Church at large but how and why the world sees Christianity. The early Church saw this too.
The Church recognizes these historical attacks waged against the Virgin Birth of Jesus as significant.
Objections to Jesus’ virginal conception were advanced with lively opposition and sometimes even with mockery. This is still going on to this very day.
CCC 498 People are sometimes troubled by the silence of St. Mark’s Gospel and the New Testament Epistles about Jesus’ virginal conception. Some might wonder if we were merely dealing with legends or theological constructs not claiming to be history. To this we must respond:
Faith in the virginal conception of Jesus met with the lively opposition, mockery or incomprehension of non-believers, Jews and pagans alike; so it could hardly have been motivated by pagan mythology or by some adaptation to the ideas of the age. The meaning of this event is accessible only to faith, which understands in it the “
connection of these mysteries with one another” in the totality of Christ’s mysteries, from his Incarnation to his Passover. St. Ignatius of Antioch already bears witness to this connection: “
Mary’s virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord’s death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God’s silence.”
“Mary’s virginity and giving birth, and even the Lord’s death escaped the notice of the prince of this world: these three mysteries worthy of proclamation were accomplished in God’s silence."
Three “secret and hidden” mysteries worthy of proclamation accomplished in God’s silence.
- Mary’s Virginity (Perpetual Virginity)
- Mary’s giving birth to Jesus (In-partu inviolability)
- The Lord’s death
Notice two of the three bullet points overlap above.
In the last sentence of the CCC 498 above, we see the Church quoting St. Ignatius of Antioch who himself was a disciple of the “Beloved Disciple” St. John!
Also concerning this last sentence, the Church then footnotes 1st Corinthians 2:8 in the CCC. So let’s look at this to get even deeper insights into these mysteries.
1st CORINTHIANS 2:6-8 6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. 8
None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Remember, two out of three items what the CCC says are “secret and hidden mysteries” that St. Paul implies (in conjunction with the CCC), if all three were properly understood, would have
a profound effect on people.
To properly understand Mary’s Virginal conception and Virginal Birth event is to understand Jesus is not merely True Man, but Jesus is also True God! (You don’t have virginal conceptions and miraculous virginal births for mere men.)
And if the world understood these three things . . . what?
They would NOT have crucified the Lord of glory!
So what does this imply for us in our day?
It implies if we can help the world see these three things (two of which are the focus of this study—Mary’s Virginity and Mary’s Virgin Birth of our Lord Jesus), they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory!
Question: But what does THAT matter? After all, the Lord of glory has already been crucified.
Answer: Because the Church follows in Her Lord’s footsteps.
