Theotokos: Mary is the Mother of God. Perpetual Virginity: Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. Immaculate Conception: Mary was conceived without original sin. Assumption: Mary was taken body and soul into heaven.
The Virgin Mary teaches us what it means to live in the Holy Spirit and what it means to accept the news of God in our lives. She conceived Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit, and every Christian, each one of us, is called to accept the Word of God, to accept Jesus inside of us, and then to bring him to everyone.
1. Be prepared to be used by God. As an unmarried young woman from Nazareth, Mary has a very low social status, but God doesn't care about that. Mary continues a long list of people in the Bible who felt inadequate (Moses, Rahab, David, Jonah, Naomi to name just a few) that God uses to fulfill His promises.
Mary restored papal supremacy in England, abandoned the title of Supreme Head of the Church, reintroduced Roman Catholic bishops and began the slow reintroduction of monastic orders.
Mary of Nazareth, a common country girl who was called by God to be the mother of Christ, models the ideals and objectives of discipleship as set out by her own Son through her obedience, her invitation to others, and a perseverance that characterized her life to the end.
Third, true devotion to our Lady is holy, that is, it leads us to avoid sin and to imitate the virtues of Mary. Her ten principal virtues are: deep humility, lively faith, blind obedience, unceasing prayer, constant self-denial, surpassing purity, ardent love, heroic patience, angelic kindness, and heavenly wisdom.
The three Theological Virtues are Faith, Hope, and Charity. Faith is the virtue that enables us to believe in God and believe what He has revealed to us as truth because He is Truth Himself.
They are actual qualities of Mary, the Mother of God who by her example is the epitome of evangelization: chastity, prudence, humility, faith, devotion, obedience, poverty, patience, mercy and sorrow.
“As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles and she constantly surrounds us with God's love,” Pope Francis also wrote. When it comes to discipleship, the Blessed Mother is the example Catholics are called to follow. “I see Mary as the perfect role model of discipleship,” Bishop John Noonan said.
Mary was “full of grace,” or put more simply, God lived within her. This came naturally because of her upbringing. St. Ann was Mary's mother, and the elder Ann taught her young daughter to be loving and kind, attentive to God's Word, and obedient to God's will.
She shows us that faith is more than assent, but is also trust, commitment, obedience, and submission. Mary trusted in God's promises, was obedient to God's word of invitation in her life, surrendered to the mystery before her, and committed herself to be part of God's plan of salvation in Jesus.
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.
Roman Catholic views of the Virgin Mary as refuge and advocate of sinners, protector from dangers and powerful intercessor with her Son, Jesus are expressed in prayers, artistic depictions, theology, and popular and devotional writings, as well as in the use of religious articles and images.
Mary is often described as the Mother of God. This title refers to her as the mother of Jesus. The Greek term for this is Theotokos , which means God-bearing. This term is used to confirm the divinity of Christ as fully God as well as fully man.
It expresses Mary's trust in God because of her knowledge of him. Consequently, Mary's faith is no blind faith. Her knowledge of God is based on her recollection of God's past deeds. As she reflects on them, she draws the conclusion that they are God's customary way of acting.
Mary's Weaknesses
Mary was young, poor, and female. These qualities made her unsuitable in the eyes of her people to be used mightily of God. But God saw Mary's trust and obedience.
Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and because of this, she is also the Mother of the Catholic Church and Mother of all the faithful. She sets a great example for us of unwavering faith and trust in God. Mary comes to our aid to help us; she is a mother who wants to see all of us love God and listen to her Son.
Mary is one of the most admired biblical figures. Her willingness to be a vessel for God's Messiah is inspirational, especially when you consider the confusion associated with a young, unmarried woman showing up pregnant-and the pain of watching your grown child be tried and crucified.
Catholics believe that worship is due to God alone. Catholics do, however, venerate Mary. In other words, we honor our Blessed Mother with great reverence and devotion because she is the Mother of God. Mary is the model of perfect love and obedience to Christ.
Theological virtues are virtues associated in Christian theology and philosophy with salvation resulting from the grace of God. Virtues are traits or qualities which dispose one to conduct oneself in a morally good manner. Traditionally they have been named Faith, Hope, and Charity (Love).
So what are the virtues of Mary? Her Angelic Sweetness, Ardent Charity, Blind Obedience, Constant Mental Prayer, Divine Purity, Divine Wisdom, Heroic Patience, Lively Faith, Profound Humility, and Universal Mortification.