Let’s see if we can look from Mary’s perspective for a bit. Okay?
Let’s role play: if you were Mary, which would be worse? And why?
Situation #1
Mary is not perpetually a virgin; not without sin; not the mother of God but the mother of Jesus’ human body, not immaculately conceived. How would you feel if a group of people believed about you as the CC people do?
There is no if about it. The truth of the matter is that Mary is the Perpetual Virgin.
The official acts of the Fifth Ecumenical Council held at Constantinople in 553 refer to Mary as aeiparthenos (i.e. ever-virgin). **"that nativity of these latter days when the Word of God came down from the heavens and was made flesh of holy and glorious Mary, mother of God and ever-virgin, and was born from her **
It was further defined again in another Council.
**Lateran Council of 649 convened by Pope Martin I also issued an important statement affirming Mary’s lifelong virginity:
If anyone does not, according to the Holy Fathers, confess truly and properly that holy Mary, ever virgin and immaculate, is Mother of God, since in this latter age she conceived in true reality without human seed from the Holy Spirit, God the Word Himself, who before the ages was born of God the Father, and gave birth to Him without corruption, her virginity remaining equally inviolate after the birth, let him be condemned.
**
Situation #2
Mary is as the CC teaches and non-catholic Christians believe as we do, that God used a wonderful young woman to bear His Son; she was faithful; she was obedient, but did n’t believe as the CC teaches.
Is it more difficult to have someone believe more of you than is real or less?