Questioin about Mary

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ukdal1

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Someone asked me “Why did Mary have to be sinless?”, to which I explained because of Christ’s humanity and etc. and etc. to which a protestant would have a hard time coming back with rebuttal. The problem is that this person doesn’t go to church at all and I don’t know how much know about Christianity (even though they were raised baptist) and the question that I didn’t have a good answer for was: “with God’s power, why couldn’t he have just been made sinless period?” I really didn’t know how to argue that one other than to say that it actually SHOWS God’s power but that’s as far I can get. I’m not a very good apologist when it comes to Mary with non church-goers. Any suggestions? Thanks and God bless!!!
 
First of all, yes, God could have been born from a sinless person. God is… well, you know… He’s God!

But, first look to the Old Testament (yeah, I know. This is not really a quick answer). The author of Exodus goes into great detail on how to build the Ark of the Covenant, how pure the materials had to be, lined in gold and what not. The ark of the Covenant is where God, the Holy Spirit, dwelled among the Israelites.

There are numerous “coincidences” between the Ark of the Covenant and Mary. I’ll see if I can dig them up, if you’d like. But the early Church Fathers saw the link between the Ark and Mary, to the point where she was called the Ark of the New Covenant, because God, the Son dwelled within her for the 9 months of gestation.

Just as the Ark of the Old Covenant was supposed to be spotless and unblemished, so is the Ark of the New Covenant.

Steve Ray has an excellent article here. Go to the page and find the article on Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant. It’s well worth the read. As a matter of fact, you’ll find numerous wonderful articles on his site.
 
I’ve seen a lot of Catholics both laity and clergy alike trying to unravel mysteries surrounding the Blessed Virgin Mary’s role in in humanity. But most of all many try to perceive why the Soul of Mary was chosen to bear the Son of the Most High God to save the souls of all sinners from eternal damnation.

The late Archbishop Fulton Sheen best penned it this way.
WHY MARY ? Answer… If You were God Almighty and you wanted to send your Only Beloved Son to be born into this world from a Woman, A Mother ? What kind of Mother would You Chose to bear your Only Beloved Son in human form ?

Would you not want to create the very best Mother for the Son of Almighty
God ? Well folks; GOD CREATED THE BEST BLESSED MOTHER of all mothers. Mary Mother of God…Queen of Heaven, Queen of the Angels. Mediatrix of all humanity. Holy Mother of Jesus Son of the Most High.
 
ukdal1 said:
Someone asked me “Why did Mary have to be sinless?”
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The Blessed Virgin didn’t have to be sinless. Christ would’ve been free from sin regardless. Rather, it was fitting that the Blessed Virgin be sinless.

– Mark L. Chance.
 
NotWorthy said:
First of all, yes, God could have been born from a sinless person. God is… well, you know… He’s God!
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Doh!!!

Mark L Chance, I thought you were just reiterating what I said, but then I realized my error.

I meant to say God could have been born from a **sinful **person, simply because he’s God! I need to slow down sometimes!
 
There is a problem if you say that Mary had to be sinless. If Mary had to be sinless in order to bear a sinless child, then, by the same logic, Mary’s mother (Anna) also had to be sinless in order to bear Mary, as well as Mary’s grandmother and great-grandmother, etc., all the way back to Eve, which we know was not the case.

So, Mary did not have to be sinless in order to bear Jesus Christ but, we say, it was fitting. Any old womb could have done the job but the womb of a sinless virgin would be (and was), because of His great dignity, a fitting vessel to carry the incarnate Word of God. As another poster has already mentioned, the stone tablets engraved with God’s Ten Commandments could have been carried around in a plain old wooden box but because of their great dignity it was fitting that they should be carried around in a box (ark) covered inside and out with precious gold.

St. Paul compared obedient Jesus Christ to disobedient Adam. Very early Christians, such as St. Justin Martyr (A.D. 155) and St. Irenaeus of Lyons (A.D. 189), also compared the obedient Virgin Mary to disobedient Eve. They saw beautiful parallels between the circumstances of the Fall of mankind and of the salvation of mankind. A sinless man and woman (Adam and Eve) disobeyed God’s command and committed the Original Sin and caused the Fall of mankind; a sinless man and woman (Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary) obeyed God and remained sinless and caused the salvation of mankind. It was beautifully fitting that both a sinless man and a sinless woman (Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary) be involved in the salvation of mankind because both a sinless man and a sinless woman (Adam and Eve) were involved in the Fall of mankind.
 
Is God required to act always in the most perfect manner?

If the most perfect way to save is through the Incarnation, and Crucifixion, with a mother who is sinless, is God constrained so that He MUST save in exactly the most perfect manner?
 
mlchance said:
The Blessed Virgin didn’t have to be sinless. Christ would’ve been free from sin regardless. Rather, it was fitting that the Blessed Virgin be sinless.

– Mark L. Chance.
Click to expand...
:clapping:
 
mlchance said:
The Blessed Virgin didn’t have to be sinless. Christ would’ve been free from sin regardless. Rather, it was fitting that the Blessed Virgin be sinless.

– Mark L. Chance.
Click to expand...

**A very important distinction :cool: - which will probably not register with 99% of Catholics. 😦 **​

 
Ron_Conte said:
Is God required to act always in the most perfect manner?

If the most perfect way to save is through the Incarnation, and Crucifixion, with a mother who is sinless, is God constrained so that He MUST save in exactly the most perfect manner?
Click to expand...
I don’t see how an infinite God can be seen to be constrained in His redemptive plan in human creation. How should an All powerful eternal God with no beginning and no end need to prove His perfection in anything He does ?
Mary’s role is a humble role. She pronounced her humility in her (“Fiat”) when she said to the Angel Gabriel (“Be it done to me according to Thy Word”) She is the handmaid of the Lord. Her whole life was one of humble service in complete love for God.
God created the Virgin Mary’s Soul for a specific role in eternity.
Mary made her body and soul a tabernacle for the Son of Almighty God. Any vessel created to contain the Soul of God had to be made perfect and worthy to hold the soul of Christ inside her.
God made a perfect mother undefiled and sinless for His purpose in Redemption. And because of her humility and love for Her Son Jesus why should not God make for her a special place in heaven next to her Son Jesus the Son of God in the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. Mary’s role as Co-Redemptrix was also part of Gods plan and is also an article of faith in the Catholic Church that all catholic’s enjoy.
 
mlchance said:
The Blessed Virgin didn’t have to be sinless. Christ would’ve been free from sin regardless. Rather, it was fitting that the Blessed Virgin be sinless.

– Mark L. Chance.
Click to expand...
So basically I led them in the right direction? I hope so! I know my stuff pretty well but sometimes I wonder HOW well! That was one of them! I just cant get through to this person to PROVE that SHE was the Immaculate Conception. That’s the problem. I think they think its reasonable to believe but they want proof (doesn’t everybody?) that it was that way…basically, why the Church declared that a dogma…
 
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