Catholic piety goes beyond this, with Mary depicted as a virgin not only before but also during and after Jesus' birth, her hymen miraculously restored. The brothers and sisters of Jesus are seen as either cousins or children of Joseph by an earlier marriage.
As the holiday season descends upon us all, let's tackle something UNTRUE about female sexuality that's especially timely. It's the myth of the hymen, that overdetermined bit of membrane that earned the Virgin Mary her moniker.
Virgin Birth, doctrine of traditional Christianity that Jesus Christ had no natural father but was conceived by Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit. The doctrine that Mary was the sole natural parent of Jesus is based on the infancy narratives contained in the Gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke.
A careful look at the New Testament shows that Mary kept her vow of virginity and never had any children other than Jesus.
Talking with kids about Mary
In order for Jesus to be born, God wanted to prepare a special mother for him. From the moment that Mary was conceived in her own mother's womb (St. Anne), Mary was without the stain of original sin. Throughout her entire life, Mary never sinned and was always a faithful servant to God.
Deeply rooted in Catholic symbolism, the blue of her cloak has been interpreted to represent the Virgin's purity, symbolize the skies, and label her as an empress, for blue was associated with Byzantine royalty.
Virginity is the state of not having had sex. A virgin is a person who chooses not to or has not yet had sex. Our culture defines basic sex as vaginal intercourse between a woman and a man. But sex also occurs between other genders when vaginal or anal penetration takes place.
According to Christianity.com, Mary was 46 to 49 years old when Jesus died. Britannica states that she “flourished” from 25 B.C. to A.D. 75. Assuming this is in reference to her lifespan, according to Britannica, Mary was approximately 54 to 59 years old when Jesus died.
"Christian tradition has long held that Jesus was not married, even though no reliable historical evidence exists to support that claim," King said in a press release.
Birth of Jesus
From the age at which Jewish maidens became marriageable, it is possible that Mary gave birth to her son when she was about thirteen or fourteen years of age. No historical document tells us how old she actually was at the time of the Nativity.
In 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary official dogma of the Roman Catholic Church. The Catholic Church teaches that the Virgin Mary "having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."
The four Marian dogmas of Mother of God, Immaculate Conception, perpetual virginity, and Assumption form the basis of Mariology. However, a number of other Catholic doctrines about the Virgin Mary have been developed by reference to sacred scripture, theological reasoning and church tradition.
Prayer to Mary is a way of being drawn towards Jesus. Just as a Protestant might go to a pastor to say, “pray for me” with the assumption that your pastor will point you to Jesus—so also a Catholic will pray to Mary with the confidence that she will direct us to the Lord Jesus. It is an act of intercession.
Mary experienced many trials throughout her life, beginning with the prophecy of Simeon shortly after the birth of Jesus. The Holy Family then had to flee to Egypt to escape Herod's clutches. The most significant of her sorrows, however, was undoubtedly the crucifixion of her son.
Some authors, taking up themes from the pseudohistorical book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, suggest that Sarah was the daughter of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.
There is now written evidence that Jesus was married to Mary the Magdalene, and that they had children together.
Moreover, it asserts that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, that the couple had a son, named Judah, and that all three were buried together. The claims were met with skepticism by several archaeologists and New Testament scholars, as well as outrage by some Christian leaders.
He was born of a Jewish mother, in Galilee, a Jewish part of the world. All of his friends, associates, colleagues, disciples, all of them were Jews. He regularly worshipped in Jewish communal worship, what we call synagogues. He preached from Jewish text, from the Bible.
After Jesus' death, the most controversy around Mary Magdalene's life would unfold. In all four Gospels, she is the first to witness Jesus after his resurrection. Believed to be the Jesus' favorite by the apostles, Mary is asked to reveal secret teachings given to her by Jesus while consoling the apostles.
Mary Magdalene's life after the Gospel accounts. According to Eastern tradition, she accompanied St. John the Apostle to Ephesus, where she died and was buried. French tradition spuriously claims that she evangelized Provence (southeastern France) and spent her last 30 years in an Alpine cavern.
Lots of people haven't had sex by 17, and many more wait until even later. There's nothing weird, unusual, or immature about being abstinent at any age. Having sex doesn't make you more grown-up — in fact, waiting is one of the most mature decisions you can make.
Sharing Sexual Histories
If you think your first sexual experience is going to happen soon, letting your partner know you're a virgin is not only a courtesy, but it also can open up an important discussion about previous sexual history - something that's important to know if you're going to be intimate with someone.
The most basic definition of virginity is never having had sex.
The Protoevangelium goes on to tell how at the age of 12, Mary left the Temple and was betrothed to Joseph, and was chosen to spin the purple and scarlet thread for the new Temple veil: purple, that rarest, most expensive colour, foreshadowed the kingship of Jesus; and red, the colour of blood and humanity.