Tag: Mary

Is it Idolatry to say that Mary Saves Us?

A Protestant friend e-mailed me, troubled by something he’d read in an article about the Rosary, in which the author said: The will of the Blessed Virgin is completely conformed to that of Her Son, in other word – God. She is the most humble and chaste spouse of the Holy Ghost and will never… Continue reading Is it Idolatry to say that Mary Saves Us?

Was Mary Saved?

A Protestant friend of mine related his struggle with the Catholic view of Mary’s sinlessless, because Mary herself expressed that she needed a Savior, in Luke 1:46-47, when she proclaimed at the start of the Magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” I think that there’s a simple response… Continue reading Was Mary Saved?

Why Celebrate Christ’s Birth, Instead of His Conception?

Since life begins at conception, why do we focus on celebrating the Birth of Christ, rather than His Conception?  After all, from a Catholic perspective, the Incarnation really occurs about nine months prior to Christmas.  Indeed, pro-life movements around the world have begun using March 25 as a day celebrating the life of the unborn, during… Continue reading Why Celebrate Christ’s Birth, Instead of His Conception?

How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t

Yesterday’s First Reading was about King David, and his plans to build a Temple for the Lord, to store the Ark. It begins (2 Samuel 7:1-3): Now when the king dwelt in his house, and the LORD had given him rest from all his enemies round about, the king said to Nathan the prophet, “See… Continue reading How Mary Built the Temple that King David Couldn’t

Early Church Fathers on Mary as the New Eve

Last week, I talked about how Mary is presented in Scripture as the New Eve, through a number of remarkable parallels.  In that post, I quoted St. Irenaeus, who wrote in 180 A.D. about what he called “the back-reference from Mary to Eve,” namely, that “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary.… Continue reading Early Church Fathers on Mary as the New Eve

Mary, the New Eve

In the past few days, we’ve seen how Scripture depicts Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant, and Mary as the Temple Gate, surrounding Jesus Christ, our perfect Temple.  Today’s the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, so it’s the perfect time to add a third Scriptural depiction of Mary: Mary as the New Eve.… Continue reading Mary, the New Eve

Jesus Christ, the New Temple

Christians often approach the Temple prophesies found in Ezekiel 40-48 in one of two ways.  Either they’ll conclude they’re about another literal Temple to be built in Jerusalem, rushing off to the latest ends-times theory, or they’ll write them off as hopelessly obtuse prophesy.  I think Jesus makes it clear Who the Temple is, and I… Continue reading Jesus Christ, the New Temple

Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant

In the comments, Waterloo Region African asked how early Christians thought of Mary as the New Ark.  I think that the best answer is that St. Luke lays this out pretty clearly in the first chapter of his Gospel.  He draws some incredibly obvious parallels between Mary’s visit to Elizabeth and David’s movement of the… Continue reading Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant

Does Psalm 69:8 Prove that Mary Had Other Children?

Cornelis van Cleve, Virgin and Child (c. 1550) Yesterday, Michael Addison raised the argument in the comments that Psalm 69:8 disproves the perpetual Virginity of Mary.  The Psalm contains a lot of Messianic elements (various lines are explicitly applied throughout the New Testament to Christ), and v. 8 says, “I am a stranger to my brothers, an… Continue reading Does Psalm 69:8 Prove that Mary Had Other Children?