The Perfect Virginity of Mary

How is the perfect Virginity of the Blessed Virgin explain in the Gospel?

The Blessed Virgin before the birth of Jesus is clearly stated at the Annunciation: Gabriel was sent to "a virgin betrothed to a man, whose name was Mary" (Luke 1:26-35). Afterwards, an angel appeared in a dream to St. Joseph said: "Do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 1:20).




The Virginity of Mary during the birth of Jesus is denied by some theologians because it will support the heresy of Docetism, which says that the body of Jesus was only apparent. However, the Lateran Council (649)), the Council of Trent (1555), and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (1992) profess that the physical virginity of the Blessed Virgin did not end with the birth of Christ: consequently, that Mary gave birth to Jesus painlessly without opening the womb.

The Virginity of Mary during the birth of Jesus is doubted by several Protestants because of the Gospel passage mentioning the "brothers of and sisters" of Jesus (Mark 3:32); the fact that Jesus was Mary's "firstborn son" and that Joseph " had no marital relations with her until she had borne son" (Mathew: 1:25). However, the Greek word adelphoi, used in the Gospel, could mean either "brothers" or " relatives". Furthermore, the legal title firstborn son does not require the existence of siblings: neither the particle until specifies whether after the birth of Jesus Joseph had relationship with Mary.

The Dogma of the Virginity of Mary

The dogma of the Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin declares that "The Blessed Mary remained virgin for the whole of her life". This implies that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary, without the intervention of the man. The virginity of Mary guarantees that Jesus is real God and real man. The virginity of Mary was prophesised by Isaiah: " Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son" (Isaiah 7:14).

The dogma of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary implies that she was virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. In many icon, Mary's Perpetual virginity is signified by three stars that appear on her left, her right and above her head, which represent her virginity before,during and after giving birth.





In an attempt to explain deeper the dogma of the Virginity, the Protoevangelium James (120 AD) said that Mary remain virgin before, during and after the Birth of Jesus, and that they so called brothers and sisters of Jesus were the children of St.Joseph from a marriage previous to Mary.It is also says that the Blessed Virgin had taken a vow of perpetual virginity when she was taken to the temple to serve the Lord.It was while serving in the temple that she became engaged with Joseph, a widower,who was act as a protector of her virginity. However, the Protoevangelium is an apocryphal book, and as such it was rejected by the Church.

Mary's Birth to Heaven

The dogmatic definition of the Assumption does not specify whether the Blessed Virgin died or fell asleep. There are actually two traditions on the matter.

The Tradition of Ephesus:

The Blessed Virgin spent the last years of her life in Ephesus, Turkey, together with St. John. They resided in a house known as the House of the Virgin Mary, which was rediscover in 1881 and transformed into a chapel. When her time came, she fell asleep and the angels brought her, body and soul, to the glory of Heaven it was August 15, later chosen by the Church to celebrate the Feast of the Assumption. The Ephesus theory is supported by the presence of Tomb of St. John nearby. This tradition is known as Dormitio Mariae, or "Falling Asleep of Mary".







The Tradition of Jerusalem:

At the end of her life of her life, Mary was Jerusalem together with John and other apostles. She actually died as was buried near the Garden of Olives, in the so called Tomb of Mary preserved till the present. Three days later, St. Thomas arrived and wanted to inspect the body of the Blessed Virgin. After removing the stone, they found the tomb completely empty and they realized that they realized that she was assumed body and soul to Paradise. This tradition underlines that the Virgin Mary should also be subjected to the general law of death, in conformity with the death of her Divine Son Jesus.