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Learn about the Catholic doctrine that Mary was free of original sin from conception, and its history, theology, and art. Compare different views of Eastern Orthodoxy, Protestantism, and Oriental Orthodoxy on this belief.
- When Is The Feast of The Immaculate conception?
- Protestants’ Objections
- Dogma of The Immaculate Conception and Pope Pius IX
- What Is The Assumption?
- No Remains
- Complement to The Immaculate Conception
- Mary’s Cooperation
- The Bible only?
- GeneratedCaptionsTabForHeroSec
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is joyfully celebrated on December 8th each year within the Latin rite of the Catholic Church. Also called the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, this feast is a Holy Day of Obligation. This feast takes place exactly nine months prior to the celebration of her Nativity on Septem...
Protestants’ chief reason for objecting to the Immaculate Conception and Mary’s consequent sinlessness is that we are told that “all have sinned” (Rom. 3:23). Besides, they say, Mary said her “spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:47), and only a sinner needs a Savior. Let’s take the second citation first. Mary, too, required a Savior. Like all...
The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception was officially defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. When Protestants claim that the doctrine was “invented” at this time, they misunderstand both the history of dogmas and what prompts the Church to issue, from time to time, definitive pronouncements regarding faith or morals. They are under the impression that...
The Assumption is the doctrine that says that at the end of her life on earth Mary was assumed, body and soul, into heaven, just as Enoch, Elijah, and perhaps others had been before her. Some people think Catholics believe Mary “ascended” into heaven. That’s not correct. Christ, by his own power, ascended into heaven. Mary was assumed or taken up i...
There is also what might be called the negative historical proof for Mary’s Assumption. It is easy to document that, from the first, Christians gave homage to saints, including many about whom we now know little or nothing. Cities vied for the title of the last resting place of the most famous saints. Rome, for example, houses the tombs of Peter an...
Over the centuries, the Fathers and the Doctors of the Church spoke often about the fittingness of the privilege of Mary’s Assumption. The grounds considered include Mary’s freedom from sin, her motherhood of God, her perpetual virginity, and—the key—her union with the salvific work of Christ. The dogma is especially fitting when one examines the h...
Mary freely and actively cooperated in a unique way with God’s plan of salvation (Luke 1:38; Gal. 4:4). Like any mother, she was never separated from the suffering of her son (Luke 2:35), and Scripture promises that those who share in the sufferings of Christ will share in his glory (Rom. 8:17). Since she suffered a unique interior martyrdom, it is...
Since the Immaculate Conception and Assumption are not explicit in Scripture, Protestant critics conclude that the doctrines are false. Here, of course, we get into an entirely separate matter, the question of sola scriptura, or the Protestant “Bible only” theory. There is no room in this tract to consider that idea. Let it just be said that there ...
Learn what the Catholic Church teaches about Mary's conception without original sin and her bodily assumption into heaven. Find biblical, historical, and theological arguments for these doctrines and answers to common objections.
Jul 25, 2024 · Learn about the Roman Catholic doctrine that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was free from original sin from conception. Explore the biblical, theological, and historical background of this belief and its celebration on December 8.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Apr 8, 2022 · The immaculate conception is a Catholic doctrine that Mary's mother was conceived without original sin. Learn how this doctrine was declared by Pope Pius IX and how it relates to Mary's role in salvation history.
Sep 1, 2023 · Learn how the Church teaches that Mary was conceived without original sin and how this dogma was defined in 1854. Explore the biblical, theological and historical arguments and evidence for this belief.
May 10, 2019 · The Immaculate Conception is the belief that Mary was conceived without Original Sin, a gift of God's grace based on Christ's redemption. Learn about the history, theology, and significance of this doctrine celebrated on December 8.
Learn about the Catholic doctrine that Mary was conceived free from original sin, based on Scripture, tradition and theology. Explore the history of the doctrine, the arguments for and against it, and the papal definitions and feast days.
