If Mary was born without original sin did God take her willingness for granted?

[undeserving]

I was in a discussion with a Hindu friend on the subject of Mary. he is interested in Catholicism, but when he asked me this I was stumped. He said that if Mary was born without original sin, it meant that God took her ‘yes’ to his request that His Son be born of her, for granted. Therefore she really did not give her aquiescence of her own free will.

What do I reply to this-any suggestions?

 

[Atreyu]

Mary was born without original sin, that is true. But so was Eve. And what did Eve do? She said “no” to God and along with Adam she instigated sin, and we call their sin “original sin”.

So did God know that Mary would aquiesce to His request? Of course He knew she would, as God is omnipresent. He sees all time at once, and so knew Mary’s decision before Mary was even faced with the decision. But does this mean that Mary didn’t make a decision? Absolutely not. Just because God knew the outcome doesn’t mean Mary was locked into one course of action. It just means that God knows the action that she would eventually undertake! I hope this helps! God bless

 

[NotWorthy]

All the angels and saints of the Old Testament are said to be holding their breaths as Mary answers, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38).

I don’t know the source of this quote, but it surely implies that Mary had a choice.

John Paul II has pointed out that Mary’s language (“let it be to me”) indicates not a passive acceptance but an active embracing of God’s will in her life. As such, Mary’s “yes” serves as a model of faith for all believers.

Notworthy

 

[radhika]

Atreyu:

Mary was born without original sin, that is true. But so was Eve. And what did Eve do? She said “no” to God and along with Adam she instigated sin, and we call their sin “original sin”.

So did God know that Mary would aquiesce to His request? Of course He knew she would, as God is omnipresent. He sees all time at once, and so knew Mary’s decision before Mary was even faced with the decision. But does this mean that Mary didn’t make a decision? Absolutely not. Just because God knew the outcome doesn’t mean Mary was locked into one course of action. It just means that God knows the action that she would eventually undertake! I hope this helps! God bless

Thankyou, but you have not taken into consideration that Eve’s birth w/o original sin was not an exception, in Mary’s case it was. She was earmarked and chosen, much before she gave her consent. It does make it look like predestination

 

[Atreyu]

radhika:

Thankyou, but you have not taken into consideration that Eve’s birth w/o original sin was not an exception, in Mary’s case it was. She was earmarked and chosen, much before she gave her consent. It does make it look like predestination

First of all, I don’t see how you can say that Mary’s birth was an exception and Eve’s was not. They were both born without Original Sin, and therefore they were both in the same boat. Eve said “no” and Mary said “yes”. They both had choices, but only Mary got it right.

Secondly, someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m pretty sure the Catholic Church doesn’t outright reject predestination. As far as I understand it (and my understanding is very limited), we only need to believe in free will. Predestination and free will are not mutually exclusive, as some would have you believe.

Or possibly I’ve gotten this wrong and someone else more knowledgable will have to correct me!

 

[edward_george]

It is quite correct that the Catholic Church does not reject predestination outright. There was a thread on this some time ago, and it’s worth a look, especially post 9.

-ACEGC