Why are there so many false teachings about Mary in the Catholic Church?
April 20, 2011 by refl
Filed under Church stained
IMMACULATE CONCEPTION — Mary was preserved from all stain of original sin from the first instant of her conception. (“Catechism” 490-492).
In Luke 1:46-47, Mary said: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour”. Mary knew that she needed a savior.
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was first introduced by a heretic (a man whose teachings were officially declared to be contrary to Church doctrine). For centuries this doctrine was unanimously rejected by popes, Fathers and theologians of the Catholic Church. (Note 13)
ALL-HOLY — Mary, “the All-Holy,” lived a perfectly sinless life. (“Catechism” 411, 493)
Romans 3:23 says “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. Revelation 15:4 says, “Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? For thou only art holy”. Romans 3:10 says, “There is none righteous, no, not one”.
Jesus is the only person who is referred to in Scripture as sinless. Hebrews 4:15 says, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 1 Peter 2:22 says, “Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth”.
In contrast, Mary said that God is her Savior. (Luke 1:47) If God was her Savior, then Mary was not sinless. Sinless people do not need a Savior.
PERPETUAL VIRGINITY — Mary was a virgin before, during and after the birth of Christ. (“Catechism” 496-511)
Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” “Till” (until) means that after that point, Joseph did “know” (have sexual relations with) Mary. (See Genesis 4:1 where Adam “knew” Eve and she conceived and had a son.)
Jesus had brothers and sisters. The Bible even tells us their names. Matthew 13:54-56
CO-MEDIATOR — Mary is the Co-Mediator to whom we can entrust all our cares and petitions. (“Catechism” 968-970, 2677)
There is only one mediator and that is Jesus. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 says, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus: Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Hebrews 7:25 says,Wherefore he [Jesus] is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Ephesians 3:12 says, “In whom [Jesus} we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.”
If Jesus is constantly interceding for us and He is able to save us “to the uttermost,” (utterly, completely) then He doesn’t need Mary’s help. If we can approach God with “boldness” and “confidence” because of our faith in Jesus, then we don’t need Mary’s help either.
Father K:
Other Scripture verses which specifically refer to Jesus’ brothers are: Matthew 12:46; John 2:12; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; and Galatians 1:19.
I was always taught that “brothers” and “sisters” were general terms that really could refer to any kind of kinsman, including cousins. This is true in the Hebrew language. However, the New Testament is written in Greek, which is an extremely precise language. It makes a clear distinction between the words used to describe family relationships. There is a Greek word which refers to people who are relatives but not of the immediate family, such as aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces and cousins. There are other Greek words which refer specifically to a person’s brother or sister within a family
Is the Bible lying about Jesus having brothers and sisters?
http://www.catholicconcerns.com/
Why are there so many false teachings about ‘God’ in the Churches?
- Like her existence, for example.
- And that Jesus is *clearly* a Horus clone… For both: virgin birth, only begotten son of a ‘God’, royal descent, birth heralded by a star and witnessed by shepherds, no data between 12-20, baptized at 30, walked on water, Sermon on the Mount, death by crucifixion, resurrected and much more. Puuuulease! … Delusional *and* an obvious rip-off.
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_jcpa5.htm
Consider the source… and remember, it’s always all about money in the end, isn’t it?
It is your opinion that they are false, and this is perfectly OK. You are entitled to your opinion.
Perhaps I shall become a Catholic just to spite you.
because everyone can interpet it differently kinda like with lyrics. thats why its hard to believe one persons perspective. this is one reason why religion cannot be taught as a science
Umm. Not sure what you want to know. Too much to read!
My only thing is: why do catholics pray to the saints when the bible says to specifically pray to God only, or it is considered an idol?
The only true teachings in the christian religion are the 10 commandments. They are a simple philosophy of how to live agood life. All the rest is made up by men in order to control the masses. 99% of all christtians ignore and disobey the commandments daily. If there really was a hell then the vast majority of so called christians have already booked their tickets
funny how all the heroes and preachers in the bible are male and the females are not needed or prostitutes.
Consider these Protestant writers:
The protestant reformers affirmed their belief that Mary, while remaining every-virgin, was truly the Mother of God. Here are only a few examples:
Martin Luther (1483-1546), On the Divine Motherhood of Mary, wrote:
In this work whereby she was made the Mother of God, so many and such great good things were given her that no one can grasp them. … Not only was Mary the mother of him who is born [in Bethlehem], but of him who, before the world, was eternally born of the Father, from a Mother in time and at the same time man and God. (Weimer’s The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v. 7, p. 572.)
Luther wrote on the Virginity of Mary:
It is an article of faith that Mary is Mother of the Lord and still a virgin. … Christ, we believe, came forth from a womb left perfectly intact. (Weimer’s The Works of Luther, English translation by Pelikan, Concordia, St. Louis, v. 11, pp. 319-320; v. 6. p. 510.)
The French reformer John Calvin (1509-1564) also held that Mary was the Mother of God.
It cannot be denied that God in choosing and destining Mary to be the Mother of his Son, granted her the highest honor. … Elizabeth called Mary Mother of the Lord, because the unity of the person in the two natures of Christ was such that she could have said that the mortal man engendered in the womb of Mary as at the same time the eternal God. (Calvini Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Braunschweig-Berlin, 1863-1900, v. 45, p. 348, 35.)
Calvin also up held the perpetual virginity of Mary, as did the Swiss reformer, Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), who wrote:
I firmly believe that Mary, according to the words of the gospel as a pure Virgin brought forth for us the Son of God and in childbirth and after childbirth forever remained a pure, intact Virgin. (Zwingli Opera, Corpus Reformatorum, Berlin, 1905, v. 1, p. 424.)
Mary, as are all who are saved, was saved by the blood of Christ. She is the greatest of Saints and her prayers for us are efficacious. She is a fully human creature and not in any way a goddess.
She is the Immaculate Conception who was filled with grace from her first moments, she is the Ark of the New Covenant and the New Eve
Mary is the “Theotokos,” or the “God-bearer,” the Mother of God
Mary remained both sinless and a virgin her entire life
Mary was assumed into Heaven by the power of God, where she was crowned Queen of Heaven
I don’t know if I would call then false teachings, maybe misguided.
Mary was a human, as such, she did sin. She was a righteous, pure woman/girl, but she wasn’t without sin. I’m sure she lived her religion, and upheld her commitments she had made with the Lord, that’s why she was chosen to be Christ’s mother.
But she was also very young at the time. We know from records kept during that time period that she was probably only 13-14 when all this happened. That was normal betrothal age back then. Of course, the betrothal usually lasted a year before marriage, so she would have been a year older at the time of marriage. Of course, we know the marriage was moved up, but that was for the sake of having it loOK ok to others.
I’m sure she didn’t remain a virgin after Christ’s birth. She was a married woman, and I’m sure that God thought it was OK for her and Joseph to have “relations” while they were married. It would be pretty silly if she kept refusing her husband, and sex is seen as a good thing during marriage.
As far as her being the co-mediator, I don’t believe that. She was Christ’s mother, and should be held in high regard for that, but Christ said Himself that is only through Him we are able to communicate with God. He is our mediator. Yes, Mary is special, but she was also a mortal, human woman. God chose her for her qualities as a woman, but He didn’t choose her to be a second mediator. If that were true, Christ would have said that she was. But, that’s what I think about the saints also, so that is just my opinion.
*EDIT*
One more thing, in God’s view, if a woman is faithful to her husband, and has only had sex with him, she is considered pure and clean before God. That would mean, that even if Mary did have sex with Joseph, because it was done in the bonds of matrimony, she was still considered pure to God.
Thought of one more thing: If Mary was saved by the blood of Christ, then before the atonement and Crucifixion, she would be as sinful as the rest of us. So how could she be saved by the blood of Christ, and still be sinless her whole life?
Catholic belief is that all of us, Mary included, need a Redeemer because of our fallen nature and that no one can attain Heaven without His Blood. We are saved from our fallen nature by His grace alone through faith that worketh in charity. Mary, though, because God knew how she would use the free will He gave to her, was saved, by His grace, from having a fallen nature at the moment of her conception. She was redeemed from her mother’s womb, an act planned from Genesis 3 so that she could act as the New Eve and so that Christ could be born of vessel even more pure than the Ark of the Covenant. Christ would not have been born from that which is impure! God knew of Mary’s will to serve even before she was conceived. He knew she would say yes to Him, and He saved her at her first moment.
The word “brother” or “brethren” is often used in Scripture for relationships other than that of those born of the same parents.
Matthew 1:25 reads, “And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son…” But, once again, language clouds the issue. “Until” is used to mean “up to that point, and with no intimations that things changed after that point.” Example, 2 Samuel 6:23 reads, “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.” Would Protestants say she had children after the day of her death because the use of the word “unto” proves it?
Gospel According to Saint Luke
Chapter 1
46 And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. 49 Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him.
“Shall call me blessed”… These words are a prediction of that honour which the church in all ages should pay to the Blessed Virgin. Let Protestants examine whether they are any way concerned in this prophecy.
Well, P I T, you go ahead and pick and choose from your Bible.
Don’t forget Luther removed 7 books………….knowledge that some do not have because they have not read the words of the Bible.
Also, since you are Bible-only (sola scripta), it’s amazing how little you know of different interpratations based on translating words from Hebrew, Greek and Araimic.
The idea that all revealed truth is to be found in “66 books” is not only not in Scripture, it is contradicted by Scripture (1 Corinthians 11:2, 2 Thessalonians 2:15, 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 1 Timothy 3:15, 2 Peter 1:20-21, 2 Peter 3:16). It is a concept unheard of in the Old Testament, where the authority of those who sat on the Chair of Moses (Matthew 23:2-3) existed. In addition to this, for 400 years, there was no defined canon of “Sacred Scripture” aside from the Old Testament; there was no “New Testament”; there was only Tradition and non-canonical books and letters.
And given the level of bickering back and forth about what Scripture means, do you believe that God expects each of us to be a scholar of Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Chaldean to understand His word and the message of salvation? No! This is why He, in His wisdom, started a Church with teaching authority through Peter, the earthly father of the New Covenant and whose successors sit on the Chair of Peter, just as Abraham was the earthly father of the Old Covenant and his successors sat on the Chair of Moses.
No Christian has the right to point at any other Christian including Catholics. Almost everything Christianity believes comes from ancient paganism, not from Judaism. This makes ALL Christian belief in error, including both Protestants and Catholics.
1. God coming down and impregnating a virgin. This is from ancient pagan religions and did NOT come from Judaism. The word in Hebrew there is “ALMAH” which means young woman, NOT virgin. The word for virgin is “Betulah” and this is NOT the word used. Young women were the only ones who gave birth back then because most women died before they got to the age of not being able to bear children anymore. It says YOUNG WOMAN, not virgin. This was a DELIBERATE mistranslation by the Church fathers in order to further their pagan agenda of a birth of a “god/man” named Jesus.
If you want to know where this concept of a god and a virgin comes from, look at just about every ancient pagan religion that existed at that time. Mithraism, Osiris, on and on and on. That’s where Christianity got it. It has NEVER existed in Judaism.
2. A Messiah who is born of a virgin mother and a god father and grows up to be a virgin HUMAN blood sacrifice for sin. This is TOTALLY pagan and is a total abomination to Judaism. There is not now, and NEVER has been such a role for the Messiah in Judaism. This was a concept that Christianity took from the ancient pagan HUMAN SACRIFICE religions such as Baal worshippers. It’s no different than what the ancient Aztecs did, or the Mayans. There has NEVER existed in Judaism anything like this whatsoever, this is NOT the role of the Messiah in Judaism. Christianity did not get this from Judaism.
3. A messiah who is killed as a virgin human blood sacrifice for sin, dies, descends into hell, stays for 3 days, and then resurrects. This is so common in ALL the ancient pagan religions that there isn’t even one that it DIDN’T happen in. The only religion it has NEVER existed in, is Judaism. This story comes straight from the ancient pagan religions, and no where else. Christianity didn’t get it from Judaism.
4. Communion. Eating the body and drinking the blood of Jesus. This is disgusting, an absolute abomination to Judaism. This comes directly from the ancient pagans, who during times of battle would cut out the heart or brain of one of their enemy who had been particularly worthy of the title “Warrior”, and they would EAT it, to gain his characteristics. This was done to others as well, particularly honorable pagans had their heads cut off and their blood drank, and their brains eaten in order that those who partake would BECOME LIKE HIM. Sound familiar? Most Christian denominations do this with Communion every week. It’s PAGAN. That’s where it comes from. There is not now and never has been anything like it in Judaism, so Christianity didn’t get it from there.
5. A burning, eternal place of torture called Hell. This comes straight from Zoroastrianism and has NEVER existed in Judaism. There is no Hebrew word for “hell” and every place in the so called Old Testament where it says “hell”, is a deliberate mistranslation by the Church fathers. Judaism has reincarnation, and ALWAYS HAS. So again, Christianity believes in a pagan concept. Zoroastrianism was the first to come up with such an idea as a burning eternal hellfire. Judaism rejected it, and sticks with the original that God taught them Himself – reincarnation.
I could go on and on and on, just about every foundation in Christianity comes from PAGANISM and NOT Judaism, and this is why NO Christian has the right to point a finger at another, whether he be Catholic or Protestant, and accuse him of being a pagan or believing in paganistic ideas.
It’s a good idea to learn what Judaism actually DOES have as the REAL Messiah, since it’s OUR concept in the first place, and GOD gave it to US on Mt. Sinai – unless you think God is a liar, or somehow “mistaken”. And no, the Jews are not blind – that’s a convenient thing to say by one religion attempting to wipe out the other and take over from it, isn’t it. The Jews still have the VERY SAME Torah that was given to them on Mt. Sinai, and that includes all the details about everything in it that were also given to the Jews at that time by God. Better listen up!
You don’t get a place in the World To Come by believing in some disgusting pagan virgin human bloody sacrifice for sin. You get your place in the World To Come by becoming a righteous person, (yes, any human being can be a righteous person if they so choose) and you do that by following the Universal Laws that God HIMSELF gave for the Gentiles to follow. These laws are found in every society, in every culture, and in every era. They are the path to creating God’s will on earth, how to create and maintain a just and civil society, and how to treat your fellow man, animal, and environment with care and kindness, AND how to keep your relationship between yourself and God, a pure one.
http://www.noahide.org
Also, keep in mind that there is no such concept as a “second coming” in Judaism, and never has been. It’s a Christian invention, and meaningless in Judaism. The true messiah comes and fulfills all of the prophecies DURING HIS LIFETIME, period.
http://www.aish.com/spirituality/philoso...
http://www.messiahtruth.com/response.htm...
http://ohr.edu/ask/ask00j.htm
http://shamash.org/lists/scj-faq/html/fa...
http://www.beingjewish.com/toshuv/whynot...
http://www.askmoses.com/article.html?h=1...
http://www.jewsforjudaism.com/
http://www.drazin.com (check out the “ancient god/man” chapter in particular.
I’m a Catholic and I’ve never yet seen within the Church a false teaching on Mary.
Constantine found that with the Roman Empire being so vast, expansive, and diverse – not everyone would agree to forsake their religious beliefs and instead embrace Christianity. So, Constantine allowed, and even promoted, the “Christianization” of pagan beliefs. Completely pagan and utterly unbiblical beliefs were given new “Christian” identities. The veneration of Mary is only one example. There are many more.
The Cult of Isis, an Egyptian mother-goddess religion, was absorbed into Christianity by replacing Isis with Mary. Many of the titles that were used for Isis, such as “Queen of Heaven,” “Mother of God,” and “theotokos” (God-bearer) were attached to Mary. Mary was given an exalted role in the Christian faith, far beyond what the Bible ascribes to her, in order to attract Isis worshippers to a faith they would not otherwise embrace. Many temples to Isis were, in fact, converted into temples dedicated to Mary. The first clear hints of Catholic Mariology occur in the writings of Origen, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, which happened to be the focal point of Isis worship.
The Uniqueness of Mary as the Mother of God
Gen. 3:15 – we see from the very beginning that God gives Mary a unique role in salvation history. God says “I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed.” This refers to Jesus (the “emnity”) and Mary (the “woman”). The phrase “her seed” (spermatos) is not seen elsewhere in Scripture.
Gen 3:15 / Rev. 12:1 – the Scriptures begin and end with the woman battling satan. This points to the power of the woman with the seed and teaches us that Jesus and Mary are the new Adam and the new Eve.
John 2:4, 19:26 – Jesus calls Mary “woman” as she is called in Gen. 3:15. Just as Eve was the mother of the old creation, Mary is the mother of the new creation. This woman’s seed will crush the serpent’s skull.
Isaiah 7:14; Matt. 1:23 – a virgin (the Greek word used is “parthenos”) will bear a Son named Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” John 1:14 – God in flesh dwelt among us. Mary is the Virgin Mother of God.
Matt. 2:11 – Luke emphasizes Jesus is with Mary His Mother, and the magi fall down before both of them, worshiping Jesus.
Luke 1:35 – the child will be called holy, the Son of God. Mary is the Mother of the Son of God, or the Mother of God (the “Theotokos”).
Luke 1:28 – “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” These are the words spoken by God and delivered to us by the angel Gabriel (who is a messenger of God). Thus, when Catholics recite this verse while praying the Rosary, they are uttering the words of God.
Luke 1:28 – also, the phrase “full of grace” is translated from the Greek word “kecharitomene.” This is a unique title given to Mary, and suggests a perfection of grace from a past event. Mary is not just “highly favored.” She has been perfected in grace by God. “Full of grace” is only used to describe one other person – Jesus Christ in John 1:14.
Luke 1:38 – Mary’s fiat is “let it be done to me according to thy word.” Mary is the perfect model of faith in God, and is worthy of our veneration.
Luke 1:42 – “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” The phrase “blessed are you among women” really means “you are most blessed of all women.” A circumlocution is used because there is no superlative in the Greek language. Note also that Elizabeth praises Mary first, and then Jesus. This is hyperdulia (but not latria which is worship owed to God alone). We too can go through Mary to praise Jesus. Finally, Catholics repeat these divinely inspired words of Elizabeth in the Rosary.
Luke 1:43 – Elizabeth’s use of “Mother of my Lord” (in Hebrew, Elizabeth used “Adonai” which means Lord God) is the equivalent of “Holy Mary, Mother of God” which Catholics pray in the Rosary. The formula is simple: Jesus is a divine person, and this person is God. Mary is Jesus’ Mother, so Mary is the mother of God (Mary is not just the Mother of Jesus’ human nature – mothers are mothers of persons, not natures).
Luke 1:44 – Mary’s voice causes John the Baptist to leap for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Luke is teaching us that Mary is our powerful intercessor.
Luke 1:46 – Mary claims that her soul magnifies the Lord. This is a bold statement from a young Jewish girl from Nazareth. Her statement is a strong testimony to her uniqueness. Mary, as our Mother and intercessor, also magnifies our prayers.
Luke 1:48 – Mary prophesies that all generations shall call her blessed, as Catholics do in the “Hail Mary” prayer. What Protestant churches have existed in all generations (none), and how many of them call Mary blessed with special prayers and devotions?
Gal. 4:4 – God sent His Son, born of a woman, to redeem us. Mary is the woman with the redeemer. By calling Mary co-redemptrix, we are simply calling Mary “the woman with the redeemer.” This is because “co” is from the Latin word “cum” which means “with.” Therefore, “co-redemptrix” means “woman with the redeemer.” Mary had a unique but subordinate role to Jesus in salvation.
Eph. 1:1; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2 – the word “saints” (in Hebrew “qaddiysh”) means “holy” ones. So Mary is called Holy, the greatest Saint of all.
Luke 2:35 – Simeon prophesies that a sword would also pierce Mary’s soul. Mary thus plays a very important role in our redemption. While Jesus’ suffering was all that we needed for redemption, God desired Mary to participate on a subordinate level in her Son’s suffering, just as he allows us to participate through our own sufferings.
Luke 2:19,51 – Mary kept in mind all these things as she pondered them in her heart. Catholics remember this by devoting themselves to Mary’s Immaculate Heart and all the treasures and wisdom and knowledge contained therein.
Mary – the Immaculate Ark of the New Covenant
Exodus 25:11-21 – the ark of the Old Covenant was made of the purest gold for God’s Word. Mary is the ark of the New Covenant and is the purest vessel for the Word of God made flesh.
2 Sam. 6:7 – the Ark is so holy and pure that when Uzzah touched it, the Lord slew him. This shows us that the Ark is undefiled. Mary the Ark of the New Covenant is even more immaculate and undefiled, spared by God from original sin so that she could bear His eternal Word in her womb.
1 Chron. 13:9-10 – this is another account of Uzzah and the Ark. For God to dwell within Mary the Ark, Mary had to be conceived without sin. For Protestants to argue otherwise would be to say that God would let the finger of Satan touch His Son made flesh. This is incomprehensible.
1 Chron. 15 and 16 – these verses show the awesome reverence the Jews had for the Ark – veneration, vestments, songs, harps, lyres, cymbals, trumpets.
Luke 1:39 / 2 Sam. 6:2 – Luke’s conspicuous comparison’s between Mary and the Ark described by Samuel underscores the reality of Mary as the undefiled and immaculate Ark of the New Covenant. In these verses, Mary (the Ark) arose and went / David arose and went to the Ark. There is a clear parallel between the Ark of the Old and the Ark of the New Covenant.
Luke 1:41 / 2 Sam. 6:16 – John the Baptist / King David leap for joy before Mary / Ark. So should we leap for joy before Mary the immaculate Ark of the Word made flesh.
Luke 1:43 / 2 Sam. 6:9 – How can the Mother / Ark of the Lord come to me? It is a holy privilege. Our Mother wants to come to us and lead us to Jesus.
Luke 1:56 / 2 Sam. 6:11 and 1 Chron. 13:14 – Mary / the Ark remained in the house for about three months.
Rev 11:19 – at this point in history, the Ark of the Old Covenant was not seen for six centuries (see 2 Macc. 2:7), and now it is finally seen in heaven. The Jewish people would have been absolutely amazed at this. However, John immediately passes over this fact and describes the “woman” clothed with the sun in Rev. 12:1. John is emphasizing that Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant and who, like the Old ark, is now worthy of veneration and praise. Also remember that Rev. 11:19 and Rev. 12:1 are tied together because there was no chapter and verse at the time these texts were written.
Rev 12:1 – the “woman” that John is describing is Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. Just as the moon reflects the light of the sun, so Mary, with the moon under her feet, reflects the glory of the Sun of Justice, Jesus Christ.
Rev. 12:17 – this verse tells us that Mary’s offspring are those who keep God’s commandments and bear testimony to Jesus. This demonstrates, as Catholics have always believed, that Mary is the Mother of all Christians.
Rev. 12:2 – Some Protestants argue that, because the woman had birth pangs, she was a woman with sin. However, Revelation is apocalyptic literature unique to the 1st century. It contains varied symbolism and multiple meanings of the woman (Mary, the Church and Israel). The birth pangs describe both the birth of the Church and Mary’s offspring being formed in Christ. Mary had no birth pangs in delivering her only Son Jesus.
Isaiah 66:7 – for example, we see Isaiah prophesying that before she (Mary) was in labor she gave birth; before her pain came upon her she was delivered of a son (Jesus). This is a Marian prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.
Gal 4:19 – Paul also describes his pain as birth pangs in forming the disciples in Christ. Birth pangs describe formation in Christ.
Rom. 8:22 – also, Paul says the whole creation has been groaning in travail before the coming of Christ. We are all undergoing birth pangs because we are being reborn into Jesus Christ.
Jer. 13:21 – Jeremiah describes the birth pangs of Israel, like a woman in travail. Birth pangs are usually used metaphorically in the Scriptures.
Hos. 13:12-13 – Ephraim is also described as travailing in childbirth for his sins. Again, birth pangs are used metaphorically.
Micah 4:9-10 – Micah also describes Jerusalem as being seized by birth pangs like a woman in travail.
Rev. 12:13-16 – in these verses, we see that the devil still seeks to destroy the woman even after the Savior is born. This proves Mary is a danger to satan, even after the birth of Christ. This is because God has given her the power to intercede for us, and we should invoke her assistance in our spiritual lives.
Mary is Ever Virgin
Exodus 13:2,12 – Jesus is sometimes referred to as the “first-born” son of Mary. But “first-born” is a common Jewish expression meaning the first child to open the womb. It has nothing to do the mother having future children.
Exodus 34:20 – under the Mosaic law, the “first-born” son had to be sanctified. “First-born” status does not require a “second” born.
Ezek. 44:2 – Ezekiel prophesies that no man shall pass through the gate by which the Lord entered the world. This is a prophecy of Mary’s perpetual virginity. Mary remained a virgin before, during and after the birth of Jesus.
Mark 6:3 – Jesus was always referred to as “the” son of Mary, not “a” son of Mary. Also “brothers” could have theoretically been Joseph’s children from a former marriage that was dissolved by death. However, it is most likely, perhaps most certainly, that Joseph was a virgin, just as were Jesus and Mary. As such, they embodied the true Holy Family, fully consecrated to God.
Luke 1:31,34 – the angel tells Mary that you “will” conceive (using the future tense). Mary responds by saying, “How shall this be?” Mary’s response demonstrates that she had taken a vow of lifelong virginity by having no intention to have relations with a man. If Mary did not take such a vow of lifelong virginity, her question would make no sense at all (for we can assume she knew how a child is conceived). She was a consecrated Temple virgin as was an acceptable custom of the times.
Luke 2:41-51 – in searching for Jesus and finding Him in the temple, there is never any mention of other siblings.
John 7:3-4; Mark 3:21 – we see that younger “brothers” were advising Jesus. But this would have been extremely disrespectful for devout Jews if these were Jesus’ biological brothers.
John 19:26-27 – it would have been unthinkable for Jesus to commit the care of his mother to a friend if he had brothers.
John 19:25 – the following verses prove that James and Joseph are Jesus’ cousins and not his brothers: Mary the wife of Clopas is the sister of the Virgin Mary.
Matt. 27:61, 28:1 – Matthew even refers to Mary the wife of Clopas as “the other Mary.”
Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:47 – Mary the wife of Clopas is the mother of James and Joseph.
Mark 6:3 – James and Joseph are called the “brothers” of Jesus. So James and Joseph are Jesus’ cousins.
Matt. 10:3 – James is also called the son of “Alpheus.” This does not disprove that James is the son of Clopas. The name Alpheus may be Aramaic for Clopas, or James took a Greek name like Saul (Paul), or Mary remarried a man named Alpheus.
Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When the angel Gabriel called Mary, “Full of grace,” Mary was already full of grace.
When the angel Gabriel said, “The Lord is with you,” the Lord was already with her.
The Blessed Virgin Mary was in a state of grace before she says “yes” to the angel’s question and before the Holy Spirit came upon her for a different purpose.
When did Mary’s state of grace begin?
Catholics believe this state of grace was with Mary since her Immaculate Conception. This means that Mary was conceived in the normal way (not like Jesus) but that she did not inherit original sin.
God prepared her for her later role as the mother of Jesus.
Catholics celebrate this miracle on December 8 as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
With love in Christ.
The catechism paras you cited do not use the term or concept of Mary as “Co-Mediator”. Mediatrix (feminine)simply means intercessor and go-between in Latin and that is a function of all the members of the Body of Christ in ,with and through Christ as our only Mediator
Paragraph 970 says,quoting Lumen gentium of Vatican II, that this intercessory and maternal prayer and concern activity of Mary does not”obsure ordiminish this unique mediation of Christ,but rather shows its power..from… the merits of Christ,rests on His mediation ,depends entirely onit and draws allits powers from it…No creature can be counted along with the Incarnate Word.”
Whenever you or I pray for someone we are doing the same thing as Mary did do and still does.