By: Admin Peter English
To be honest, I was amazed how this admin of Deep Web Enigma managed to strike all 4 dogmas of the Catholic Church regarding Mary’s role in (authentic) Christianity in one, single post. However, I believe that the article length often entails much about how substantial the post is. So I decided to make a 4-part post in response. Let’s start with the first part: the Immaculate Conception.
“Yes, Mary was favored (graced) by God (Luke 1:27-28) but she was a sinful human needful of Jesus Christ as her Savior, just like the whole humanity. (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 John 1:8).Mary was not an “immaculate conception” Or sinless, as declared by the Roman Catholic church” – DWE
A well-versed Catholic can immediately spot the contradiction stated in the beginning of this quote. First of all, GRACE and SIN are two opposite things (Romans 5:20-21). GRACE, like the claim in the post, is an “unmerited favor” from God. It means that GRACE is something that we do not deserve since the fall of men in the state of SIN. Therefore, GRACE is what separates us from SIN or vice versa; GRACE is what invites us to live with God’s divine life (holiness). So to say that Mary is “graced” and at the same time “sinful” would be a statement of complete irony if not absurdity.
When Archangel Gabriel visited Mary, his first greetings were, “Hail, full of GRACE (not ‘favored’ as the Proty Bible translates) the Lord is with you”. If Mary is indeed “full of sins”, how can she be “full of Grace”? The angel’s proclamation is exact contradiction of these heretic claims. Whose claim should we believe then?
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION? THE WHOLE HUMANITY IS SINFUL
To say that the human nature is being SINFUL is a false notion towards the TRUE nature of man. Remember that when Adam and Eve were made, they were also IMMACULATE. God created man in the state of Grace and FREE FROM SIN. It was only when Adam and Eve fell that SIN entered the world and has become the “state” of man (original sin). Imagine the entire humanity, ever since the Fall, were all subject to be born fallen in a pit of mud (original sin), however, due to her predetermined special role in the salvation of men, Mary, before she even fall into the pit, was saved from falling. This is to preserve her as a chamber for the New Covenant to come. God redeemed man perfectly without lacking in anything. Therefore, Mary also needed the Savior (Luke 1:47). And she was indeed saved, at the moment of her Conception.
Thinking that God cannot make an Immaculate Ark (dwelling) for His New Covenant (Son) would be similar to saying that God is weak and powerless against Sin. Think of it, IF HE IS TO ENTRUST HIS SON INTO A BODY OF A MORTAL, WON’T HE WANT SOMEONE WHO IS PERFECTLY CLEAN LIKE THE FIRST WOMAN HE MADE BEFORE THE FALL? That is why Mary is also called the Ark of the New Covenant and the New Eve. Just as how the first Eve cooperated with the Serpent for Sin to enter the world, the new Eve cooperated with God by saying “Let it be done to me according to your word” to let Redemption come.
If we are to take these verses literally (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:23; 6:23; 1 John 1:8) that ALL MAN ARE SINNERS, this will conclude that Jesus, who is also True-Man, is a sinner as well. And I know no one will agree with that.
The Immaculate Conception of Mary can simply be understood in this way: Mary, from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother St. Anne, was preserved free from all stains of original sin by God through the merits of Jesus Christ’s Passion and Death.
One might ask, “How was Jesus able to redeem Mary even before He died on the Cross?” Real simple. Because God is not bound by the limits of TIME and SPACE (Isaiah 57:15). For all things are possible to Him (Matthew 19:26). And why won’t He? If Jesus is to choose who is to be His Mother here on earth, why would He just randomly pick a “sinful” woman out of nowhere like the Protestants suggest? An IMPURE cannot produce something PURE (JOB 14:4). The ONLY quality of a woman fit to become the Mother of God (Jesus) is no other than an “Immaculate” woman. Otherwise, God will be a laughing stock for the Devil if He let His Son dwell in the body of Satan’s slave of sin.
“YU KETOLIKS MEYK MERI YOR GOOOD!”
NO. Definitely NO. The first man and woman were IMMACULATE but they are not considered as GODS. And we don’t worship Mary. However, we pray to her. Yes. PRAY. Because if you’re somehow equipped with vocabularies, you’ll know that to pray means “to ask”. We pray to her to pray for us to her Son Jesus Christ; to intercede for us like what she did at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-11). Because like what James said, “the prayers of the righteous are powerful” (James 5:16). How much more powerful is the prayer of someone “FULL of GRACE”?
Read the part Two: Mary, Never-Virgin (Refuting DWE’s post regarding Mary pt. 2)