Topic: What is the nature of Grace and Mary?

Source of this posting: Moderator response

Date originally posted: December 2, 2002

Moderator who originally posted this source: Fr. Robert

Question:   1.I know that after baptism or being reconciled in the sacrament of reconciliation, we receive sanctifying grace. I also know that throughout the course of our lives, God moves us with actual graces in order to retain our Sanctifying grace. If we respond to these actual graces, we can avoid sin, and we get an increase of Sanctifying grace. Also, when a person in a state of Sanctifying grace and receives Eucharist, his Sanctifying grace increases. My question is primarily this: If after attaining a relatively high level of Sanctifying Grace, one mortally sins, and is then reconciled (in confession), where does his state of grace start again? Does this person have to start over with the initial amount of grace received, or does he start at the same level he fell off? 2.In the Catechism it states: Because of man, creation is now subject to its bondage to decay. Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will return to the ground,for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history.[286] and The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of Original sin. Does this mean that Mary did not experience Physical Death before her Assumption into heaven? The Catechism does not definitely state is she experienced death: Finally the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death. In a book called: CITY Of GOD (POPULAR ABRIDGEMENT OF THE DIVINE HISTORY AND LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MOTHER OF GOD MANIFESTED TO MARY OF AGREDA FOR THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF MEN TRANSLATED from the Original Spanish BY FISCAR MARISON) which can be found posted online http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Ithaca/7194/ Gabriel gives her notice of her death: Gabriel saluted Her with the Ave Maria, and added thereto: 'Our Empress and Lady, the Omnipotent and the Holy of the holy sends us from his heavenly court to announce to Thee in his name the most happy end of thy pilgrimage and banishment upon earth in mortal life. Soon, O Lady, is that day and hour approaching which, according to thy longing desires, Thou shalt pass through natural death to the possession of the eternal and immortal life, which awaits Thee in the glory and at the right hand of thy divine Son, our God. Exactly three years from today Thou shalt be taken up and received into the everlasting joy of the Lord, where all its inhabitants await Thee, longing for thy presence.' and later she died:She pronounced those words of her Son on the Cross: Into thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.Then She closed her virginal eyes and expired. The sickness which took away her life was love, without any other weakness or accidental intervention of whatever kind. She died at the moment when the divine power suspended the assistance, which until then had counteracted the sensible ardors of her burning love of God. As soon as this miraculous assistance was withdrawn, the fire of her love consumed the life-humors of her heart and thus caused the cessation of her earthly existence. I know that this book is not a source of doctrine in our faith, nor is it deemed completely accurate. However, according to the understanding of Mary of Agreda (regarding the assumption), our beloved mother died a 'natural death'. This was probably also the opinion of many catholic theologians at the time. The great Pope Benedict XIII, when he was archbishop of Benevent, used these revelations as material for a series of sermons on the Blessed Virgin. This book also recieved an approbation from the Universal Church:[We take pleasure in giving our episcopal approbation to the annotated translation of the Spanish original 'Ciudad de Dios' of Mary of Jesus and recommend this book, which will surely edify all readers and be the occasion of great spiritual blessings.]Ratisbon, September 29, 1885+Ignatius, Bishop of Ratisbon.Notable is the high recommendation of the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg, Apost. Legate, Primate of Germany, etc.[According to the decrees of Pope Innocent XI and Clement XI the book known as ‘Ciudad de Dios’ written by the Venerable Servant of God, Maria de Jesus, may be read by all the faithful.][A number of episcopal approbations, the recommendations of four renowned universities, namely, of Toulouse, Salamanca, Alcala and Louvain, and of prominent members of different orders, coincide in extolling the above-named work. The learned and pious Cardinal D’Aguirre says that he considers all the studies of fifty years of his previous life as of small consequence in comparison with the doctrines he found in this book, which in all things are in harmony with the Holy Scriptures, the Holy Fathers and Councils of the Church. The Venerable Superior-General of St. Sulpice, Abbe Emery, adds: Only since I read the revelations of Mary of Agreda do I properly know Jesus and His Holy Mother.][We therefore do not hesitate – in granting our episcopal approbation to - 'Ciudads de Dios' – and wish to recommend it to the faithful and especially to our clergy.]Also, the tradition of the Eastern Orthodox Church states that she did die. Keeping this in mind, and the fact the catechism does not state definitively if her death took place, I am left with a dilemma. If the Blessed Virgin Mary did die, this would be contrary to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, for she was preserved from all stain of Original sin, which states: [Because of man, creation is now subject to its bondage to decay. Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true: man will return to the ground, for out of it he was taken. Death makes its entrance into human history. (THE PROFESSION OF FAITH, SECTION TWO III. ORIGINAL SIN Paragraph 400) . But the Immaculate Conception was declared infallible doctrine by the Catholic Church. I do not know how to approach this issue…

Answer: 

Rami,

Thank you for your questions! I can see that you have put a lot of serious thought into them. I commend you for taking such an interest in theology. It is a fascinating field of study. Augustine's famous definition of theology is "faith seeking understanding." I think a person without faith can study theology. However, when a person of faith seeks understanding, theology attains its fullest purpose.

I see from your profile that you are thinking about the priesthood. That is great. I urge you to seek out a spiritual director who can help you discern whether God may be calling you to this vocation. Contact your diocesan vocation director and find out if there is a discernment group in which you can gather with other young men listening for God's call. Immerse yourself in the Scriptures. Participate in service activities such as Habitat for Humanity.

Here are some thoughts on your questions:

1.) The stress in theology today (at least as I perceive the training I received in seminary) is not on quantitative amounts of grace. Your question is very interesting and thoughtful. It reminds me of the scholastic theology of the middle ages. Everything in that period was analyzed with great precision. In the end, though, some carried the approach too far. The example usually given to illustrate the excesses of scholasticism is "How many angels can fit on top of a pin?" I cannot give you an exact answer to your question because I do not know. However, I suggest to you that the more interesting questions are ones such as "How is growing in grace participation in the life of God?"

2. You point out many things correctly. Mary was kept free from sin by a special grace. There is no dogma of the Church that states whether Mary died. Many, including myself, believe that she did. I think her body grew older and eventually weaker like everyone's does and she eventually died. It is a good question of how Mary dying does not contradict her immaculate conception. Death did enter the World through sin, but in a communal, not an individual, sense. Original sin means that all humans have a heart that will eventually stop beating, even Mary who was kept free from original sin.

Again, thank you for your questions. They were not easy to answer! Please, keep praying and loving.

Peace,
Father Robert