Mary's conception

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blessedrosary

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** Since we believe that Mary was and of course is without sin, I was wondering…
In Genesis, God punished women for sin by making childbirth painful. Mary, immaculately conceived, did not endure this (to my knowledge and my faith). Ive heard of holy women giving birth without pain, so i automatically believe this is true also about Mary.
But I’ve read Revelation 12: 4 “She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.” I have been taught that this of coarse symbolizes Mary, and thus is why Mary has be percieved with 12 stars and her standing on the moon in many paintings of her. I was just wondering if anyone could clear this up for me. I believe that Mary is without sin. Is this passage just symbolic of the pain she endured in losing her son to the cross?**
 
Genesis 3:16
To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

Here it clearly states the consequence of the sin was increased pain in childbearing, which makes me wonder if Mary indeed felt **some **pain (especially if she delivered naturally like any other woman since she was still completely female).

Jesus as man was divine at the time and free from original sin yet still felt pain when he was tortured and crucified. So I would think Mary, not being Divine, but free from original sin would still feel pain as she delivered her son. I imagine it was minor pain, bearable, certainly.

But then that doesn’t really wash with that Revelations 12:2 wording (though I did not find the words “wailed aloud” as you noted. In the other Bible versions online they all said ‘cried’):

2She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.

Regardless of whether she cried out, wailed aloud, or was silent, she was indeed without original sin. Of that we are certain.

I hope someone else can address whether the Revelations passage is tied to her witnessing her son’s Passion.
 
From Ott’s Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma:

“Freedom from original sin does not necessarily involve freedom from all defects which came into the world as a punishment of sin. Mary, like Christ Himself, was subject to the general human defects, in so far as these invovle no moral imperfection.”

Scott
 
The verse in Revelation need not be taken literally. St. Paul uses similar language in Galatians 4:19:
My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you!
More than anything, I think the verse in Revelation indicates Mary’s great eagerness to bring the long-expected Savior into the world.
 
We should consider also the pain of separation from Christ who she carried for nine months. That physical closeness would never return, although she never lost the spiritual communion.–nicolo
 
The woman in Revelation also alludes to the nation of Israel, and the Church, as well as to our Blessed Mother.

The nation of Israel has gone through birth pains, and also the Church. That allusion does not necessarily point to Mary as well.
 
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