Sinlessness of Mary

[Evan]

I’ve been teaching a class and when we were working through the Church’s teachings on Mary, we covered

1. Mother of God
2. Immaculate Conception
3. Assumption
4. Perpetual Virginity.

None of these imply a sinless Mary. One may argue sinlessness at birth (Immacualte Conception) and the time of the conception of Christ (full of grace). But …

Adam and Eve also were Immaculately Conceived, yet eventually sinned.

Mary suffered much during the passion (your soul a sword shall pierce) so may have had all temperal punishment due to any sins removed before the assumption.

So… does the Church teach a sinless Mary? Where?

Thanks

 

[Jim_Blackburn]

The Church teaches that, by God’s grace, Mary lived a sinless life from the moment of her immaculate conception. Here are excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC):

Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ’s victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life. (CCC 411)

The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.” The Father blessed Mary more than any other created person “in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places” and chose her “in Christ before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before him in love.” (CCC 492)

By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long. (CCC 493)