Category: Mary

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How important is the Assumption of the Virgin Mary for Catholics?

The dogma of the Assumption refers to the fact that the Mother of God, after her earthly life, was raised body and soul to heavenly glory.

Now, why is it important for Catholics to remember and deepen the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin constitutes a singular participation in the Resurrection of her Son and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians” (CCC 966).

The importance of the Assumption for us lies in the relationship between the Resurrection of Christ and ours. The presence of Mary, a human being like us, who is already glorified body and soul in Heaven, is just that: an anticipation of our own resurrection.

St. John Paul II tells us: “The dogma of the Assumption affirms that Mary’s body was glorified after her death. In fact, while for other men the resurrection of their bodies will take place at the end of the world, for Mary the glorification of her body was anticipated by a singular privilege” (St. John Paul II, July 2, 1997).

“Contemplating the mystery of the Assumption of the Virgin, it is possible to understand the plan of Divine Providence with regard to humanity: after Christ, the Incarnate Word, Mary is the first human creature to realize the eschatological ideal, anticipating the fullness of happiness, promised to the elect through the resurrection of bodies” (St. John Paul II, General Audience of July 9, 1997).

Today’s men and women live pending the enigma of death. Even if we approach it in different ways, depending on the culture and beliefs we have, even if we avoid it in our thinking, even if we try by all means at our disposal to prolong our days on earth, we all have a great need for that certain hope of immortality contained in Christ’s promise of our future resurrection.

The mystery of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven invites us to pause from the hectic life we lead to reflect on the meaning of our life here on earth, on our ultimate goal: Eternal Life, together with the Holy Trinity, the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Angels and Saints in Heaven. Knowing that Mary is already in Heaven glorious in body and soul, as promised to those of us who do God’s Will, renews our hope in our future immortality and perfect happiness forever.

ACI Prensa, “¿Qué es el Dogma de la Asunción?”, aciprensa.com, accessed 14 august 2024, https://www.aciprensa.com/recurso/2367/que-es-el-dogma-de-la-asuncion

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What biblical and theological basis is there for the Hail Mary prayer?

The Hail Mary prayer is a beautiful and Biblically-based prayer that has been an important part of Catholic tradition for centuries. It is a powerful example of how the Church has taken elements from Scripture and combined them into a prayer that helps us deepen our relationship with God and with one another.

Let’s start by looking at the basic structure of the Hail Mary. The first part of the prayer is taken directly from the Gospel of Luke and honors the Virgin Mary as the mother of Jesus Christ:

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” (Luke 1:28,42)

These words are spoken by the angel Gabriel when he visits Mary to announce that she will give birth to the Son of God. They are a beautiful tribute to Mary’s faith and courage, and they remind us of the importance of her role in the story of salvation.

The phrase “Holy Mary, Mother of God” is based on the biblical concept of Mary as the mother of Jesus, who is recognized by Christians as the Son of God and the second person of the Holy Trinity. This title was affirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, where Mary was declared to be Theotokos, which means “God-bearer.”

The phrase “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death” is also based on biblical concepts. The Bible teaches that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). Therefore, as sinners, we need the prayers of Mary.

Throughout the Bible, we see examples of people praying for one another and asking for the prayers of others. We also see examples of the power of intercession – for example, when Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites (Exodus 32:11-14) or when the friends of the paralytic lower him through the roof to be healed by Jesus (Mark 2:1-12).

In addition, the Bible teaches that we should pray for one another (James 5:16), and the tradition of asking for the intercession of the saints, including Mary, can be traced back to the early Church. The idea is that those who have gone before us are still members of the Body of Christ and can intercede for us just as we can intercede for one another.

The Hail Mary prayer as we know it today was developed over time through the Church’s reflection on scripture and tradition. The first part of the prayer is taken from the Gospel of Luke, where the angel Gabriel greets Mary with the words, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28). The second part of the prayer, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen,” is a later addition that reflects the Church’s understanding of Mary’s role as a powerful intercessor and her unique relationship with her Son, Jesus.

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What should I call the Virgin Mary?

The Virgin of the Pillar, the Virgin of the Snow, the Virgin of the Rosary, the Virgin of Mount Carmel, the Virgin of Candelaria, the Virgin of El Pino, the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Virgin of Coromoto, the Virgin of Lourdes, the Virgin of Fatima, how many virgins are there? Virgin Mary there is only one, the mother of God, all those named are the different dedications that are given to the only Virgin Mary, spiritual mother of humanity.

The Virgin Mary has few words recorded in the gospels, but within the few that she has, she has left us profound teachings, after asking the angel sent by God how the miracle of the conception of the Son of God could occur, the following thing she tells us shows her faith, humility and total surrender to the Lord: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:34-38), Mary begins from that moment his ministry of helping those in need, promptly going to the care of his cousin Elizabeth, who in her old age was pregnant by the work of the Lord, it is once in Elizabeth where we heard for the first time the recognition of her great role, “blessed are thou among all women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb” (Luke 1:41-42).

It is also where her cousin Elizabeth gives us a beautiful teaching of faith in God through the Magnificat or Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-55) this is a powerful prayer, it shows the great faith and hope of the Virgin Mary, the Magnificat speaks to us even today, to those parents without resources, to those who do not have food on the table, to the elderly who are abandoned, to the dispossessed. All of them are present in the hope that the Virgin Mary proclaims.

Mary, being our heavenly mother, like every mother, cares for each and every one of us as a mother cares for all her children, even the most disobedient; That is why, through his multiple appearances, he has helped us to deepen our faith, almost as if repeating the words he pronounced at the wedding in Cana “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:4-5).

Let us recognize the Virgin Mary as the mother of God and as our heavenly mother every time we pray the Hail Mary, and let us obey her as children so that we can hear the call of Jesus Christ, and do what He tells us.

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How is it possible that Mary is the Mother of God?

Mary mother of God and mother of the Church, the concept of Mary as mother of God is sometimes complicated for us. Is not God eternal? How is it then possible to have Mary as the Mother of God? One way to understand this is by accepting the one God in the three persons of the Holy Trinity (CCC 233), thus Mary is the earthly mother of God the Son, Jesus Christ, eternal God (John 8:58) consubstantial with the Father.

Mary’s role as the mother of Jesus Christ is prophesied not only from the beginning of time (Genesis 3:15), but also throughout the Old Testament, symbolized by the tabernacle where Moses met with God (Exodus 33:9). and that protected the Ark of the Covenant with the tables of the law, the word of God given to the Israelites; Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant, having housed in her womb the Word (John 1:1) that became flesh, the same Jesus Christ who came to dwell among us (John 1:14). It was Mary the virgin referred to by the prophet Isaiah seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus when he said: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son…” (Isaiah 7:14).

Mary accepts the role of mother of our savior and then the role of being our mother with humbleness, responding to the angel of the Lord: “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38), also when Jesus from the cross referring to the disciple says to her: “Woman, here is your son” (John 19:26) and then to the disciple “Here is your mother” (John 19:27), giving us Mary as mother through his disciple. Mary is the mother of the Church since we are one body with Christ (Romans 12:4-5) by receiving him in communion. Mary as our mother, intercedes for us before the immense mercy of her Son, and also guides us as she did wisely and humbly at the wedding in Cana, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:3-5).

Let us recognize our heavenly mother in Mary, since she intercedes for each one of us and obtains the graces we need. Just as for a mother her children are unique and different from each other, so we are for Mary.