Creed - Lesson 3

Born of the Virgin Mary

(Oct. 3, 2020)
 3rd Article of Faith:
He was conceived by the
power of the Holy Spirit, and
Born of the Virgin Mary
• MARY IN THE SCRIPTURE

• Matthew and Luke present Mary with many allusions to great figures in the Old
Testament.

• MATTHEW

• Recounts Mary’s virginal conception of Jesus as fulfilling Isaiah’s prophesy

• (Mt.1: 23; Isaiah 7:14)

• LUKE
• Describes God’s call to the Virgin Mary to become, through the Holy Spirit, the power
of the Most High, the Mother of Jesus, the Son of God (cf. Lk.1:26-38 ; CCC 487 &
495).

• The angels greeting to Mary relates her to the “Daughter of Zion” (Zeph.3: 14-17).

• The coming of the Holy Spirit upon her and her carrying the Child in her womb
pictures Mary as the “Living Ark of the Covenant” in Christ her Son.
• Mary is compared to Eve
• Mary is the new Eve, obediently received the
Word of the angel and gave birth to a Son of
God.

• Eve accepted the word of the serpent and

gave birth to disobedience and death.
• JOHN
• EARLIER – described as the “Mother of Jesus”. Her request
prompted the first of the ‘signs’ of Jesus and the “manifestation of
His glory” so that His disciples “believed in Him” (Jn. 1-11).
 
• Jesus replied her as “Woman” that His hour had not yet come. But
Mary, in great faith, already assumed her future role as sharing in
her Son’s saving mission. She asked for a sign of the Messianic
benefits, at that “Wedding Feast”. Jesus complied.
 
– LATER – Jesus hour had come!
•  
– Mary standing at the foot of the Cross is again addressed as “Woman” and
given as “Mother to the Beloved disciple” by the Crucified Jesus (cf.
Jn.19:25-27).

– Mary becomes the spiritual Mother in the order of grace of all.

• THE SEVEN SORROWS OF MARY
– The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:27-35).
•  
– The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).
•  
– The loss of Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:43-51).
•  
– Mary meets Jesus carrying the Cross (Luke 23:27).
•  
– Mary stands beneath the Cross of Jesus (John 19: 25-27).
•  
– Mary receives the dead body of Jesus (John 19:38).
•  
– Jesus is laid in the tomb (John 19:39-42.
• MARY IN DOCTRINAL TEACHING OF THE CHURCH
• MOTHER OF GOD
 
• THE TITLE OF Vatican II’s exposition of Mary is: “The role of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of God, in the mystery of Christ and the Church.” (Lumen Gentium - Chapter 5)
 
• Gal. 4:4-5 “When the designated time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a
woman…”. It is an oldest testimony!
 
• Everything we know and revere about Mary, depends upon her unique, God-given
vocation to be the “Mother of God and of the Redeemer”.
 
 
• The expressed doctrine in Hail Mary: “Holy Mary, Mother of God…” Mary is not a
goddess but her Son is truly God.
 
• Mary gives Jesus what any human mother gives her baby. Through her, Jesus is truly a
man.
 
• The Son of Mary and the Son of God is one and the same person, EMMANUEL.
• BLESSED VIRGIN

• Mary, Virgin and Mother, manifests God’s perfectly free initiative in the Incarnation.
Mary’s perpetual virginity is not simply abstention from sexual intercourse, but the
positive value of perfect personal integrity in her total gift of self to God.

• Mary’s virginity flowered into maternity not only for Jesus, the firs born of all
creation (Rm 8:29; Col 1:15, 18) but also for all who would be born again to new life
in him (Jn 3:3; 1 Jn 5:11).

• The Virgin Birth, then is not a privilege affecting only Jesus and Mary, but a positive
sign of the Father’s gracious saving love which adopts us all in sending His Son, and
the Spirit’s building a new People of God, the Body of Christ, the Church.

• Mary’s virginal conception is not just a symbolic description or literacy device of

Matthew and Luke to describe God’s intervention, nor is it merely a human construct
to insist on Jesus “divinity”.
• Rather, it is simply the way God in fact chose to send His Son into the world when
the fullness of time had come (Gal 4:4).
 THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION   
Mary had the unique mission from God to be Mother
of His Son-made-man, the redeemer. She, thus, shares
in a special way Jesus’ salvific mission.
 
From this mission flows her singular grace and privilege
of the Immaculate Conception
(CCC 490). It is proclaimed as dogma by Pope Pius IX
on December 8, 1854.
 
 
 
• Immaculate Conception signifies that Mary was, “from the first
moment of her conception, in view of the merits of Christ Jesus
Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of
original sin.

• The Immaculate Conception as God’s gift to Mary, therefore, is

doubly Christ-centered:
as given because she would be mother of Christ
as showing that no one is saved apart from Christ even
those who lived centuries before him.

• “In view of the merits of Christ” means Mary was made holy by
her immediate relationship to Christ, the source of grace, for
whom and towards whom all things are created (Col 1:15, 17)
 
 THE ASSUMPTION
 
Preserved from all guilt of original sin, the
Immaculate Virgin was taken up body and
soul into heavenly glory (Assumption) upon
the completion of her earthly sojourn.
 
 Mediatrix
• Authentic Catholic doctrine teaches that Mary’s intercession does
not in any way detract from, or add to, the unique mediation of
Christ (1 Tim 2:5-6).
• Two analogies help us to understand this.
– In God’s continuing act of Creating, the one goodness
of God is communicated diversely to all creatures.
– The priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both
by sacred ministers and by all the baptized. Hence, in
like manner, the unique mediation of Christ is shared by
all, since God calls all to cooperate, in manifold human
ways, in Christ’s redemptive mission.

• Catholics see in Mary a special cooperation due to her God-

given role within His saving work through Christ and the
Spirit.
• GOD’S ACTION

– The action of God is truly unique because “the

eternal Son of God is united to His person, the baby
conceived in Mary’s womb, by the power of the Holy
Spirit”

– The baby born of Mary was the God-man – Jesus.

– “THEOTOKOS” – from the Greek word meaning

“Mother of God” & “God Bearer”.
 Off screen Activity
Integration of the Lesson
• WHAT’S THE WORD?
• Fill in the missing word in each statement

• 1.________________ was standing at the foot of the Cross is addressed as 2.

____________.
• 3. ________________says “The Holy Spirit shall come upon you, and the
power of the

• 4.________________shall over shadow you”.

• Jesus replied her as “Woman” that His 5. _____________ had not yet come.
But 6. _____________,

• in great faith, already assumed her future role as sharing in her Son’s saving
7. _________________.  
• The Immaculate Virgin was taken up 8. ______________and
9.______________into heavenly glory
•  
• Mary is compared to 10._____________.
• QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
• 1. What made the Virgin Mary distinctive
from others to be chosen by God?

• 2. What was the reason that God became

flesh? Why is this important to us Christians?
Thank you…
Live Mary!