Catholic – Mary

The veneration of Mary, the mother of Jesus, developed rapidly by 590 and led the adoption of the doctrines of her immaculate conception in 1854 and her miraculous assumption to heaven in 1950. The false interpretation of Scripture and the mass of miracles associated with Mary in the apocryphal gospels created great reverence for her. The Nestorian and other Christological controversies of the 4th century resulted in the acceptance of her as the “Mother of…

Catechism of the Catholic Church printed in 1994. This is the “official” teaching of the Catholic Church, with the introduction from John Paul himself. The catechism is numbered by individual teaching. Some examples follow: #493 “By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life long” #721 “Mary the all holy ever-virgin Mother of God…” #722 …”She was, by sheer grace, conceived without sin…” #966 “Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved…

“This maternity of Mary in the order of grace began with the consent which she gave in faith at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross.  This maternity will last without interruption until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect.  For, taken up to heaven, she did not lay aside this saving role, but by her manifold acts of intercession continues to win for us gifts of eternal salvation.  Let the…

Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception of Mary an article of faith on December 8, 1854. According to his pronouncement in Ineffabilis Deus, Mary was given grace to be sinless at the instant of her conception. Sin was shut out of her. The teaching was controversial among Christians at large. Neither Protestant nor Orthodox accept it. In general, Christians insist that any major doctrine must be clearly backed up by some Scripture. Catholics require…

“Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation… Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the (Roman Catholic) Church under the tiles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix.” (CCC Para 969) By asking Mary to pray for us, we acknowledge ourselves to be poor sinners and we address ourselves to the ‘Mother of Mercy,’ the “All Holy…