The Immaculate Conception of Mary

  

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

The Catholic Church claims that Mary would be born without sin. This idea, known as the "immaculate conception" , appeared for the first time only in the year 1160. It was made official in 1477 by Sixtus IV, and was then brought to the fore in 1854 by Pius IX.

This new doctrine, not coming from the Bible, was rejected by the most illustrious fathers of the Catholic Church, who took sides against it. Among them we remember Thomas Aquinas, Eusebius, Ambrose, Bonaventure, Bernard, Pope Leo I, Pope Gelasius I, Pope Gregory the Great, Pope Innocent III and Pope Leo the Great. Even the Dominicans fought it, while the Council of Trent refused to pronounce itself.

Sant'Eusebio (260-340 AD) for example declared:"No one is exempt from the stain of original sin, not even the mother of the Redeemer of the world. Jesus alone is exempt from the law of sin, although born of a woman subjected to sin" (Eusebius, Emiss. In Orat. II de Nativ.).


WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The Bible teaches that Mary, like any other human being except Jesus Christ, was also born in sin.

" All have sinned " (Rom. 3:23), says the apostle Paul; this includes all human beings, and this is because sin through Adam entered the world and passed on to all men. Paul always says: "... with a single sin the condemnation was extended to all men ..." (Rom. 5:18).

That this is so, that is, that Mary too was not born exempt from sin, she herself confirmed it when in her canticle which she raised to God in the house of Zechariah she recognized that God was her Savior saying: " My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior " (Luke 1: 46,47). Indeed, how could she have called God her Savior if she had been born without sin?

But there is another proof that the Bible gives us, and it is the sacrifice that Joseph and Mary offered in the temple when they went to introduce the baby Jesus (read Luke 2: 22-24). One of the animals offered as a sacrifice was in fact offered for Mary's sin, because according to the law it was in this way that the iniquity of the woman giving birth was atoned for. In fact, the Mosaic law said:"... he will bring to the priest, at the entrance to the tent of meeting, a one-year-old lamb as a burnt offering, and a young pigeon or a turtle dove as a sin offering; and the priest will offer them before the Lord and make the atonement for her; and she will be purified ... This is the law concerning a woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl. And if she has no means to offer a lamb, she will take two turtle doves or two young pigeons: one for the burnt offering. , and the other for the sin offering. The priest will make atonement for her, and she will be clean " (Lev. 12: 6-8). In Maria's case, as she was of low status, two turtle doves or two young pigeons were offered. It is evident that if Mary had been sinless there was no need for her to offer that sacrifice for her own sin.