In this episode of No Apologies Fra Joseph takes a look at the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception of Mary means that she was conceived without any stain of original sin. This was done in view of the future merits of Jesus Christ.
Ave Maria!
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I was wondering, if God could manage to conceive Mary without Original Sin so that she can then birth the Christ, why doesn’t He just have everyone born without Original Sin and avoid the whole sinful business in the first place? I don’t really understand how one person can be born without it, when God could just have us all born without the stain of Original Sin and restore what has caused both Him and all of humanity so much heartache.
@Bob: When an infant spills his milk, it is easy for you to forgive, and you wipe it up for him. But when an older child who has grown enough to know better spills his glass of milk at the dinner table, you don’t wipe it up for him even though you could. For your child’s own sake, you tell him to wipe it up himself, though you might provide a towel.
This is like what our Father in heaven is doing for us. His children have messed up, and we need to redeem ourselves. We accept the great gift from our Father, Jesus, in our lives, to wipe away our sins, and to learn to lead a spiritually clean life.
Because that was not His plan. Sin cannot be forgiven unless one repents and atonement is made. Christ makes atonement for us where we cannot: “Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood, soul and divinity, of your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world” (as from the Chaplet of Divine Mercy).
Sin is disobedience to God. God wants contrite hearts to choose to serve Him in love. Testing by temptation to sin on Earth is refinement thanks to discipline. This is not to say that man may purify himself without God’s aid, for, indeed, it is the Holy Spirit within him that does so. Anyways, human nature is fallen because of, well, the fall. We chose not to cooperate with His creation. The Father’s creative process is going on continuously throughout time. His plan and his Goodness are such that even greater good will be present in Creation at the end of time than in the Garden of Eden, after we have passed through the valley of darkness and put our faith in Him.
Also, Doug, do not think that God was punishing Adam and Eve out of lack of forgiveness, because that is not so. Since Adam and Eve had just denied God and all the gifts he had given them through their disobedience, He was offering them the first covenant of sorts. It is because he forgave them that he did this. He gave them new commandments to obey, in the hope that we would return to Him and his ways. Again and again He has offered His people a covenant, in the fullness of time giving to us the new and everlasting covenant in Christ His Son. He does not abandon us after the fall out of his abundant love.
One might say: that’s not fair that God would punish us, but do not be deceived. God created us; we are His creation; we obey His laws. And it is written that “It is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for the smallest part of a letter of the law to become invalid.” God loves us freely out of his abounding Goodness and calls us always and everywhere to share in his life and to seek him, know him, and love him in return with all one’s strength. Such is the faithful love of our God.
Simply put: its better this way. Why? Because it is God’s will.
Bob, if we were created absolutely pure (as Our Lady and Jesus were), we would lose out on Free Will. That is, we would love God out of a knee-jerk reaction or one of fear of the loss of God. Free Will offers us the opportunity to choose to obey and love the Lord, or to love ourselves and our own selfish ways more. The Vessel of God Incarnate (Our Mother, Mary), as Fra. Joseph explained; was saved from sin by her Son just as you and I are, only God chose to fill her with His Grace BEFORE Her birth, as He is not bound by time. Even though She was filled by Grace beforehand, she still could have chosen to disobey, but in her Fiat to the Father; she aligned Her own will with His. Without Her Fiat, God Almighty would not have had an absolutely pure Vessel to bring our Savior into the world. As the prayer states: Oh! Happy Fault!! If you and I were not created without Original Sin, we would have no need of our Redeemer, our Lord Jesus Christ. I didn’t completely understand Mary’s role in Salvation History either at first; but after careful, prayerful study of the Church Fathers AND the Catechism of the Catholic Church, it all made sense. God Bless, and I hope this helps.
I just want to clarify what you said at the beginning on “we would lose out on Free Will.” We would still have the will to choose against God even if we ourselves were formed without original sin, and, like Adam and Eve, would probably do so. Remember that Jesus himself suffered from temptation. Purity of will is that one willfully takes the Father’s will unto oneself; it does nothing to negate free will. Man has always had free will and always will.
Its not like Adam and Eve were “unknowing” in the Garden of Eden in the sense that they didn’t have free will. It is just that they only knew good. They did not know evil. That is, they did not know sin. Thus, eating the apple caused them to know evil because they disobeyed God.
Also, you don’t truly understand what it would be to be pure of heart and see God “face-to-face,” that is the beatific vision. You would know him. You would know his nature; that he would in no way ever leave you as when you say ” we would love God out of … fear of the loss of God.” Once you see God, there is no way you could turn away from him but an act of rebellion. Contemplate the Divine Nature of God who is Perfect.
Adding to what I said above in my last paragraph:
I mistook your meaning when you said “we would love God out of… fear of the loss of God.” You probably meant that we would fear sinning, not God abandoning us, since God leaving his creation doesn’t make any sense at all. But, what you said doesn’t make sense either way, because if one has God purely, one would not fear the loss of Him, because God would not give you fear, he only gives good things. Thats my point: fear can only exist apart from God. Obviously, we suffer from it now, but we are in the valley of tears, not heaven. Like I said above about Adam and Even in the Garden, we would not know evil.
One other wondering I had about the Conception is why exactly Mary needed to be born without Original Sin. After all, God’s power is limitless, and so Christ could have very well been born even through a woman who did suffer from Original Sin if God wills it to be so. It seems as though the Conception can remain immaculate for Mary is ever a virgin, but there is no reason for her not to have Original Sin, because – if it is God’s will – Christ can still be born of her regardless, showing the awesome power of God to have one who is so pure as Christ to be born of one who – while being pure as she has not lost her virginity – is man exactly like everyone else, living with Original Sin.
i believe it is simply because God is all good, and He could not have entered this world through any means other than through a pure and totally good vessel, without sin. If He was born with Mary being sinful, this would give sin a certain power over Jesus, for lack of better terminology, since Jesus would be born of sinful nature. God could not be born of sin.
Bob @ When you pass School by giving exams , same way at the beginning, when God took his angle in Heaven, God Took Exams, Lucifer and many angel fall the exam. And that the reason they wear in Hell . Now God want to fill that place of fallen angle. So this earth or we all are made, so we too also need to go through the same exam and to enter in heaven one day.
So now for your info what was the exam? God told all his Angle that one person from Holy Trinity will become Human and all angle has to bow down in front of him (Witch is Jesus Christ) Many of the angle refuse and very moment they fall in hell .
Then Lord told that there will be a, one women from Human and you all need to bow her too . and that moment a big group of angle refuse and told God that how can we bow human flesh , Mr Bob that is the exam which angle fail . God said ” I am who I am” do not ask me the question . about my plan, they are very easy but very hard for the People who are full of Pried( proud ) because of pried all other sin are done.
When someone starts wondering or questioing why God did this or that, it causes one to lose faith and sound doctrine like the Immaculate Conception becomes hard to believe or accept. Do not question God. Accept and beleive. Remember the lines at the beginning of the Movie “The Song of Bernadette”. “For those without Faith, No explanation is possible — For those with Faith NO EXPLANATION IS NECESSARY!
its a dogma we have to accept wholeheartedly
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