Question about Mary

TikiTokiguy · #1 Dec 1, '10, 7:01 pm

At the RCIA class I went to Tuesday the teacher/Priest talked about Mary. He said Mary remained a virgin all her life and had not other children.

Is this true and general what Catholics believe? I told a relative this, he's protestant, and he argued against this. I thought the Priest gave good evidence to believe she had no other children.

PAboy57 · #2 Dec 1, '10, 7:08 pm

Yes I believe and this is Church teaching.

If you really want to understand our Blessed Mother and her role in salvation read the writings of St. Louis de Montford. He lived a short life and is being considered as a doctor of the church.

http://www.ewtn.com/library/Montfort/SECRET.HTM

take care.

Ultima Ratio · #3 Dec 1, '10, 7:22 pm

Yes, it is true that the Virgin Mary remained a virgin her entire life. The first person to deny this teaching was a heretic named Helvidius. The great St. Jerome - who Protestants accept as one of the greatest Biblical Scholars of the early Church - refuted all of the arguments put for by Helvidius to deny the perpetual virginity of Mary (which happen to be the exact same arguments used by the Protestants today).

The following is a link to the writing of St. Jerom against Helvidius. After reading it, you ought to pass it along to your friend.

http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3007.htm

Cat Herder · #4 Dec 1, '10, 8:16 pm

Yes. Please review this and this.

Alveus Lacuna · #5 Dec 1, '10, 9:11 pm

Just to help bolster confidence in the preserved truth of this doctrine, this is also a dogmatic teaching of the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as a belief in the Oriental Orthodox (Non-Chaledonian) communion, and in the Assyrian Church of the East (Nestorians). All teach and proclaim that the Mother of God is Ever-Virgin. So it's not just a Roman Catholic peculiarity. All of the ancient apostolic churches believed it.

rrlylee34 · #6 Dec 1, '10, 9:40 pm

I just started a thread asking for help in answering my daughters doubt in the ever virginity of Mary. The doubt arose from a gospel reading of all places. Specificly Matthew 1:24-25.

24
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
25
He had no relations with her until she bore a son, 12 and he named him Jesus.

My daughter is questioning her faith in part because she is dating a protestant boy. What do you say to this?
HELP!!!

Janet1983 · #7 Dec 1, '10, 10:29 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by TikiTokiguy

At the RCIA class I went to Tuesday the teacher/Priest talked about Mary. He said Mary remained a virgin all her life and had not other children.

Is this true and general what Catholics believe? I told a relative this, he's protestant, and he argued against this. I thought the Priest gave good evidence to believe she had no other children.

That is indeed what the Catholic Church teaches.
Here is Catholic.com on the topic: Link

GloriousOrder · #8 Dec 2, '10, 2:56 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by rrlylee34

I just started a thread asking for help in answering my daughters doubt in the ever virginity of Mary. The doubt arose from a gospel reading of all places. Specificly Matthew 1:24-25.

24
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
25
He had no relations with her until she bore a son, 12 and he named him Jesus.

My daughter is questioning her faith in part because she is dating a protestant boy. What do you say to this?
HELP!!!

The Douay-Rheims footnote for Matthew 1:25 by Bishop Challoner in 1752 pretty much clears this problem up, and with indirect explanation using Scripture:

----

"Until she brought forth her first born son: "From these words, Helvidius and other heretics most impiously inferred that the blessed virgin Mary had other children besides Christ. St. Jerome shows, by diverse examples, that this expression of the Evangelist was a manner of speaking among the Hebrews: to denote by the word 'until' only what is done, without any regard to the future.

Thus it is said (Genesis 8:6-7) that Noah sent forth a raven, which went forth and did not return until the waters dried up on the Earth; that is, it did not return. Also, (Isaiah 46:4) God says "I am until you grow old" - who dares infer that God should then cease to be (once you are old)? Also, in the First Book of Machabees (5:54), 'And they went up to mount Sion with joy and gladness and offered holocausts, because not one of them was slain until they had returned in peace.' That is: not one of them was slain either before or after they returned.

God says to His divine Son: 'Sit on my right hand until I make thy enemies thy footstool' Shall He no longer sit at the right hand of God after his enemies are subdued? Yes, and for all eternity.

St. Jerome also proves by Scripture example that an only begotten son was also called firstborn, or 'first begotten'; because, according to the law, the first born male was to be consecrated to God. 'Sanctify unto me, saith the LORD, every firstborn that openeth the womb among the children of Israel.' "

----

St. Jerome was one hard-hitter of a major saint!

Monica4316 · #9 Dec 2, '10, 3:32 am

Also where it says in the Bible that Jesus had "brothers"; in the original language, the word "brothers" referred also to cousins and any relatives... sometimes Protestants bring up that point in trying to prove that Jesus had siblings, but when you look at the original - not the translation - it does not prove this at all.

God bless

mountaintop · #10 Dec 2, '10, 4:10 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by TikiTokiguy

At the RCIA class I went to Tuesday the teacher/Priest talked about Mary. He said Mary remained a virgin all her life and had not other children.

Is this true and general what Catholics believe? I told a relative this, he's protestant, and he argued against this. I thought the Priest gave good evidence to believe she had no other children.

you can check newadvent.org and look up st Joesph he died at 111 years old and before Jesus started his ministry which would make him around 90 when he married Mary. I don't think she had any other children.

you can also check st Anne Marys mother and Joachim her father. Ann was around 80 when she conceived Mary trough the holy spirit.

Robert Burns · #11 Dec 3, '10, 2:42 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by TikiTokiguy

At the RCIA class I went to Tuesday the teacher/Priest talked about Mary. He said Mary remained a virgin all her life and had not other children.

Is this true and general what Catholics believe? I told a relative this, he's protestant, and he argued against this. I thought the Priest gave good evidence to believe she had no other children.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is ever Virgin. Protestants self interpret Scripture and thus come to false conclusions in their exegesis.

Marsha Adams · #12 Dec 3, '10, 4:03 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by mountaintop

you can check newadvent.org and look up st Joesph he died at 111 years old and before Jesus started his ministry which would make him around 90 when he married Mary. I don't think she had any other children.

you can also check st Anne Marys mother and Joachim her father. Ann was around 80 when she conceived Mary trough the holy spirit.

Even if Joseph married Eve when he was 17 with raging hormones, how can anyone seriously think that he would mess with God's wife? There is a reason why Mary is referred to as the Most Chaste Spouse of the Holy Spirit.