Part One: The Profession of Faith › Section Two of Part One: The Profession of the Christian Faith: The Creeds ›› CHAPTER 2: I Believe in Jesus Christ, the Only Son of God ››› Article 3: “He was Conceived by the Power of the Holy Spirit and Was Born of the Virgin Mary” ›››› §2 Conception and Birth

› IN BRIEF

Questions and Answers

507. Where in the New Testament is the conception of Christ by the Holy Spirit revealed? (CCC 484) The conception of Christ by the Holy Spirit is revealed in Lk 1 during the Annunciation to Our Lady by the archangel Gabriel.
In Lk 1:35 the angel says to Our Lady: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you.”
508. When does the Son of God become Christ? (CCC 486) The Son of God becomes Christ at the beginning of His human existence.
509. What three Marian dogmas are connected to the phrase “born of the virgin Mary”? (CCC 487-507) The three dogmas connected to the phrase “born of the virgin Mary” are:
1. the Immaculate Conception
2. the Divine Motherhood
3. the Perpetual Virginity.
510. What is the basis for what the Catholic Faith holds about Our Lady? (CCC 487) The basis for what the Catholic Faith holds about Our Lady is the Church’s Faith in Jesus Christ.
511. Why did God will the Incarnation to occur by the assent of a woman? (CCC 488) God willed the Incarnation to occur by the assent of a woman, because He wanted a woman to contribute to the coming of life as a woman, Eve, had contributed to the coming of death.
512. How is the mission of Our Lady prepared in the Old Testament? (CCC 489) The mission of Our Lady is prepared in the Old Testament by that of many holy women.
Such women are: Eve, Sarah, Hannah, Deborah, Ruth, Judith, Esther (etc.).
513. Why was it necessary for Our Lady to be full of grace at the Annunciation? (CCC 490) It was necessary for Our Lady to be full of grace at the Annunciation lest she be unable to give free assent to her vocation.
514. What does the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confess? (CCC 491) The dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses that Our Lady was from the first moment of her conception preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
515. Who proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception and when? (CCC 491) Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception in 1854.
516. How do the Eastern Fathers express the Immaculate Conception? (CCC 493) The Eastern Fathers express the Immaculate Conception by calling Our Lady “the All-Holy” (Greek: Panhágia).
517. How was the knot of Eve’s disobedience untied according to St Irenaeus? (CCC 494) According to St Irenaeus († 200), the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Our Lady’s obedience.
St Irenaeus of Lyons (France) is one of the early Church Fathers.
518. Where does the New Testament attest the title “Mother of God”? (CCC 495) The New Testament attests the title “Mother of God” when Our Lady is acclaimed by Elizabeth as “the mother of my Lord” (Lk 1).
519. Why is Our Lady the Mother of God? (CCC 495) Our Lady is the Mother of God, because the One whom she conceived was the Father’s eternal Son.
520. How is the title “Mother of God” said in Greek? (CCC 495) The title “Mother of God” is said in Greek “Theotókos”.
521. What does the virginal conception teach us about Christ? (CCC 496) The virginal conception teaches us about Christ that He was conceived by the Holy Spirit without human seed and therefore is the Son of God and not the son of a man.
522. What divine promise is fulfilled in the virginal conception? (CCC 497) In the virginal conception is fulfilled the divine promise of Isaiah 7: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.”
523. Why can the interpretation of the virgin birth as a pagan myth not be sustained? (CCC 498) The interpretation of the virgin birth as a pagan myth cannot be sustained because the pagans of the first centuries ridiculed, opposed or did not comprehend it.
524. Why is Our Lady called “ever-virgin”? (CCC 499) Our Lady is called “ever-virgin”, because she remained a virgin before, during and after giving birth to the Son of God.
The Liturgy calls the ever-virgin “Aeì-parthénos” from Greek “aeí” = always and “parthénos” = virgin.
525. Do Christ’s “brothers” and “sisters” in Mt 13 disprove Mary’s perpetual virginity? (CCC 500) No, Christ’s “brothers” and “sisters” in Mt 13 do not disprove Mary’s perpetual virginity, because “brothers and sisters” in Mt 13 refers to close relations of Jesus Christ and not to other children of the Virgin Mary.
Mt 13:55s: “Are not his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us?”
526. To whom does Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood extend? (CCC 501) Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood extends to all the faithful.
527. Why was Christ born from a virgin? (CCC 502-507) Christ was born from a virgin in order to manifest:
1. God’s Fatherhood
2. Christ’s heavenly origin
3. the virginal (= ‘being all from God’) character of Baptism
4. the virginal (= ‘not doubting’) character of Faith
5. the Church as virgin and mother.