By Sean Toh
The Perpetual Virginity of Mary is not a modern belief. It was professed by multiple Church Fathers through the first few centuries of Christianity, and officially declared a dogma at the Fifth Ecumenical Council in Constantinople in 553 A.D using the term “ever-virgin”. At the Lateran Council in 649 A.D, Pope Martin I provided clarification on this term – that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after Christ’s birth. The forerunners of the 16th century Protestant Reformation held to this as well. However, belief in this dogma slowly declined among Protestant circles, partly because of declined interest in Mary; not necessarily because they thought it was wrong, but also because it did not seem important. So what if Mary had, or did not have, more children?
It is easy to grasp the significance and gravity of the first Marian Dogma – Mary as the Mother of God (Gk. Theotokos) – once we realize that it safeguards the fundamental truth of Jesus’ divinity. Those who deny this dogma would have a difficult time explaining “who did Mary give birth to?” But when it comes to the dogma of Mary’s Perpetual Virginity, it may not be so obvious. In this article, we will discuss why faith in this dogma is more important now than ever.
The Initiative of God
Firstly, this dogma safeguards the initiative of God in the Incarnation (when God became man), as well as in the Christian life. It makes clear that salvation is entirely God’s initiative, with grace enabling the cooperation and free response of man to God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it this way:
Mary’s virginity manifests God’s absolute initiative in the Incarnation. Jesus has only God as Father. “He was never estranged from the Father because of the human nature which he assumed… He is naturally Son of the Father as to his divinity and naturally son of his mother as to his humanity, but properly Son of the Father in both natures.” (CCC 503)
Consecration to God
In Scripture, when someone or something is consecrated to God, it is set apart for His use and generally not to be used for anything else. Examples of these include priests (Ex 29:9), offerings (Ex 29:31-34), the temple, and the Ark of the Covenant. It is this biblical understanding of consecration that sheds light on the implications of Mary’s consecration to God, for the specific and sacred purpose of bringing Christ into the world for the salvation of all – it becomes clear how unthinkable it is for Mary to have had other children. Along with many Church Fathers who firmly defend this position, St. Jerome writes in the 4th century, “Would he [Joseph], who knew such great wonders, have dared touch the temple of God, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the Mother of his Lord?”
Mary is also the perfect image of the Church, who is the virginal bride “without spot or wrinkle…holy and without blemish” (Eph 5:27), “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2), bringing forth her offspring who “keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” (Rev 12:17)
At once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization of the Church: “the Church indeed. . . by receiving the word of God in faith becomes herself a mother. By preaching and Baptism she brings forth sons, who are conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of God, to a new and immortal life. She herself is a virgin, who keeps in its entirety and purity the faith she pledged to her spouse. (CCC 507)
The Sacrament of Marriage
Mary’s consecration to God is also in the context of a nuptial union with God – a marriage to the Holy Spirit. Once again, the implications of this are illuminated by the way Scripture speaks about marriage.
Jesus elevates marriage to the level of a sacrament. When questioned by the Pharisees about divorce, Jesus quotes from Genesis 2:24 in his reply: “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one. What therefore God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” (Mt 19:5-6) St. Paul writes accordingly about this in his letters:
Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. (Rom 7:2-3)
To the married I give charge, not I but the Lord, that the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, let her remain single or else be reconciled to her husband)—and that the husband should not divorce his wife. (1 Cor 7:10-11)
Mary’s marriage to the Holy Spirit points forward towards the marriage of Christ and His Church (the Bride of Christ), which is the perfect image of our Catholic understanding of holy matrimony. Her perpetual virginity is aligned with and emphasizes the consecration of spouses in marriage, as well as the indissolubility of it.
Conclusion
In an age where divorce, adultery, and remarriage have become so normalized and even accepted, our faith in Mary’s perpetual virginity has never been more important. Given the significance of this dogma, it is no surprise that the loss of faith in it has been followed by a reduced appreciation of the sacredness of marriage and consecrated life before God. This is why Mary’s perpetual virginity matters. To quote Catholic Answers apologist Tim Staples:
“The Perpetual Virginity of Mary serves as a stark reminder—a visible sign for all the world that has become a “sign of contradiction” in our day—of the permanent nature of the gift of marriage. To deny it is to betray the union of God and the Virgin Mary, archetype of all consecrations and a fulfilment of that which the sacrament of marriage is an earthly sign. It is the prototype of the marriage of Christ and his Church, and as such is exclusive, faithful, and permanent.”
Contemplation upon this dogma reminds us of the primacy of God in our lives and in our marriages – for it is God who joins man and woman together. While being faithful to her earthly spouse Joseph, Mary shows us that consecration to God takes precedence over the consecration to husband or wife. May a renewed appreciation of Mary’s perpetual virginity lead us back to a deeper and biblical understanding of consecration to God and the sacrament of marriage.