Again you go far beyond what is written. This term, “full of grace” or “favored one” says nothing about her not sinning ever. In fact the definition never addresses this. This is adding catholic doctrine to make the scripture say something it does not instead of letting the scriptures form the doctrine.
We’ve gone over this before on other threads, so why do you keep bringing the subject up ad finitum? Are you some kind of a mobile billboard or something?
“It is permissible, on Greek grammatical and linguistic grounds, to paraphrase ‘kecharitomene’ as completely, perfectly, enduringly endowed with grace.”
[Blass and Debrunner, ‘Greek Grammar of the New Testament’]
In Luke 1:28 we have a special conjugated form of ‘charitoo’: ‘kecharitomene’. while Ephesians 1:6 uses ‘echaritosen’, which is a different form of the verb ‘charitoo’. ‘Echaritosen’ means “he graced” (bestowed grace). This form of the verb denotes a momentary action, an action brought to pass. [Blass and Debrunner, ‘Greek Grammar of the New Testament’, p.166]. Whereas ‘Kecharitomene’, the perfect passive participle, shows a completeness with a permanent result. ‘Kecharitomene’ signifies continuance of a completed action. [H.W. Smythe, Greek Grammar, p. 108-9: Cambridge: Harvard University Press: 1968].
Whoever has been born of God, does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.
1 John 3, 9
John tells us that God’s Holy Spirit is like a seed (sperma) that impregnates us and enables us not to sin. The Spirit infuses grace that empowers us not to sin at our conversion and baptism. When we are baptized we receive sanctifying grace: an habitual gift, a stable and supernatural disposition that perfects the soul itself to enable it to live with God, to act by his love. This grace is habitual as the permanent disposition to live and act in keeping with God’s call ( cf.CCC #2000). But this does not mean that a Christian will never sin. God’s grace enables us to reform our lives and turn away from habitually sinning. Though the Christian has turned away from habitually sinning to live in God’s favour and abide in his love, he is still imperfect and naturally inclined to sin because of his wounded human nature inherited from Adam. Like the psalmist David there are occasions when the Christian will fall from God’s grace by sinning and have to sincerely repent.
With regard to Mary it’s a different story. Her habitual state of grace had a permanent result (kecharitomene), for Mary was conceived preserved free from original sin. Like Eve, she had no natural inclination to sin against God. Though, unlike the former, Mary freely chose not to sin. The angel Gabriel knew that Mary would never sin, so he hailed her as “full of grace” (kecharitomene). Mary was an exceptional human being, or else the angel would have addressed her by her given name rather than by her spiritual disposition. Still God may have intervened to bestow his actual helping graces on Mary in the course of her life, but I believe this is probably not so; since Mary had no inclination to sin from the time she was born. Sanctifying and habitual grace were sufficient for her to live a holy and blameless life in cooperation with God’s grace. After all, this is one reason why the Church invokes Mary as the New Eve.
Mary was initially justified before God at the instant she was conceived and her soul was sanctified. And she never fell from God’s grace. Since the angel Gabriel knew that she never would fall, seeing he was God’s messenger, I take delight in thinking that the rigid Protestant concept of Once-Saved-Always-Saved can apply to Mary. She is the New Eve.
“Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Luke 1, 42
“Thou alone and thy Mother are in all things fair; there is no flaw in thee and no stain in thy Mother.”
Ephraem, ‘Nisibene Hymns, 27:8’ (A.D. 370)
"The spouse of Christ cannot be adulterous; she is uncorrupted and pure. She knows one home; she guards with chaste modesty the sanctity of one couch. She keeps us for God. She appoints the sons whom she has born for the kingdom. Whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress, is separated from the promises of the Church; nor can he who forsakes the Church of Christ attain to the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger; he is profane; he is an enemy. He can no longer have God for his Father, who has not the Church for his mother…The Lord warns saying, ‘He who is not with me is against me, and he who gathereth not with me scattereth.’ "
Cyprian, ‘Unity of the Church, 6’ (A.D. 265)
I can’t help but think about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation when I read this passage.
PAX :tiphat:
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