Why is the perpetual virginity of Our Lady important?

[Cavalier]

Hi there,

I just wanted to ask this, because it was something I was discussing with my mother, and I can see Evangelical friends of mine asking it too: Why is it important for us, as Catholics, to believe that Our Lady was perpetually a virgin?

I don’t mean why is it important that we defend it - it’s a dogma of the Church, so I understand why one should believe and defend in that basis - but why do we have the dogma in the first place? What import has it?

After all, what difference does it make whether our Lady was always a virgin, or not? Surely, one might argue, as long as she was a virgin when she gave birth to our Lord (and therefore fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14), that’s all that really matters?

Why then, did the Church choose to define a doctrine on her perpetual virginity after the birth of Christ? How does it matter whether she was or not (again, aside from the fact that the Church chose to define this)?

Thnaks for the help,

Peter

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[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi Peter,

Besides the fact that the Church has taught that Mary was always a virgin from its earliest days while the New Testament was being written, it continues to do so today because of what this fact says about Jesus. From the cross Jesus shared His mother with us all. But her womb was a tabernacle for Him alone. We wouldn’t think of using the tabernacles in our churches to house anything but the Eucharist because it is the sacred body of Christ. So too with Mary’s womb.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.