The Biblical Mary-3

The Church of Rome has created a Mary that doesn’t appear anywhere in the Bible. She was created by inference not by evidence. I will provide some of their decisions as they gradually created Mary into a goddess.

We first begin to know about the real Mary in the gospel of Luke, when she is visited by the angel Gabriel. It is from this one chapter upon which the Church of Rome bases the majority of its dogma on Mary. Remember, the Church of Rome dogmas on Mary are not based on the clear teaching of Scripture. What do the Church of Rome dogmas on Mary include?

Perpetual virginity

This belief maintains that Mary was not only a virgin when visited by Gabriel, but remained a virgin throughout her entire earthly life. It even goes as far as maintaining that her womb was not damaged, corrupted, or altered by giving birth. This belief finds its origin in the apocryphal book, called the Gospel of James, around 120 AD.

Mother of God

Since Jesus is God the Son, this belief ascribes to Mary the recognition as being the Mother of God. Jesus, as God the Son, has no beginning and no end, as He has always existed. Therefore, as God, He had no mother, but He and the Father are one. This designation was affirmed at the Council of Ephesus 431 AD.

Sinless life

This dogma is based on the precept that since Jesus was sinless, Mary had to be sinless. St. Augustine (354-430) brought this to the forefront, but it wasn’t until the Council of Trent in 1546, that it was formally and finally confirmed by a majority vote.

Co-Redemptrix

While still maintaining the Jesus is the redeemer of all of sinful mankind, the Church of Rome also maintains that Mary shares in the execution of this divine redemption. This shared responsibility states that all must first go through Mary before they can come to Christ. While this false belief began in the 14th century, it could not be officially confirmed until the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965.

Immaculate conception

If Mary was indeed sinless in life, she had to be born sinless or so the Church of Rome maintains. Therefore, this belief in her ‘Christ-like’ birth was formally declared to be dogma by Pope Pius lX on December 8, 1854.

Queen of Heaven

This title is loosely based on the mistaken premise that, since Jesus is King, His mother must be Queen or the Queen Mother. While it had been debated from the 4th century, as well as at the Council of Ephesus in 431 (but never getting enough votes to become a majority opinion), it did not reach the status of dogma until Pope Pius XLL on May 13, 1946.

Co-Mediatrix

As the mediator of graces, reconciling man to God, Mary also received the recognition as co-Mediatrix officially at the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965. This title falsely recognizes her as the treasurer of all graces for all of mankind.

Assumption

The Church of Rome also maintains that Mary was taken up directly into Heaven when she died. She was buried but her tomb is empty, as God took her body directly into Heaven without decay. While maintaining and promoting this belief as beginning with the apostles, which has no Scriptural support, it did not become the official dogma of the Church of Rome until declared by Pope Pius Xll on November 11, 1950.

Mother of the Church

This title is now contained in the official catechism of the Church of Rome. The dogma was officially recognized by Pope Paul Vl at the Second Vatican Council on November 11, 1964.

“Following the 1981 assassination attempt on his life, Pope John Paul ll ordered the installation of a mosaic of Mary, Mother of the Church on a building overlooking St. Peter’s Square, partially as tribute to her intercession in saving his life. In 1987, he repeated this title Mother of the Church in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater and at a general audience on September 17, 1987.” (Wikipedia under Mother of the Church)

It is revealing that the veneration of Mary has grown and increased gradually over 2000 years. Why would Jesus not have affirmed any of this, if it was true? Why was not all this declared in the first century? Could it be that they would have been denounced as heresies and lies by the early church? While the above dogmas are central to the Church of Rome beliefs of Mary, they are not the only ways Mary is venerated or worshiped. The Marian dogmas have spawned feast days, the rosary, prayers, and a plethora of holy sites and shrines.

The truth of Mary is only contained in Scripture, God’s Holy Bible. Any other belief about Mary is an affront to the very nature of God. If Mary is anyone more than the simple surrogate mother of the incarnate Lord, then God would have made it very clear and easily understood. God is not a God of confusion.

More next Saturday