Mary in the Gospel of Mark: Part IV: Perpetual Virginity (Continued)

Mary in the Gospel of Mark

“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us”?  And they tool offense at him (Mk 6:3).

This text of Mark centers on the question of the virginity of Mary.  We have already seen that the uncommon expression “son of Mary” does not refer to the virginal conception. Second, the naming of the brothers and sisters of Jesus is no denial of the perpetual virginity of Mary. In the last article of The Queen (link), we asked whether or not the perpetual virginity of Our Lady is found in Scripture either explicitly or implicitly. Our conclusion was that the only possible biblical statement concerning this prerogative of Mary would be Luke 1:34; “How can this be since I know not man,” spoken by Mary at the Annunciation of the Lord. And although contemporary Catholic scholars agree that the perpetual virginity of Mary is a certain truth of the faith, they generally deny that it can be found in this Lucan verse.

How can the Church Declare it to be . . .

The stage is set, then for the problem which must be faced in this installment of the Mariology of Mark. If this Gospel together with the other books of the New Testament neither explicitly nor implicitly affirms the perpetual virginity of Mary, how can we declare it to be a divinely revealed truth of the Church?

The problem is an important one in ecumenical studies since it deals with the very meaning of the word of God. Moreover, the identical question can be asked concerning the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. Catholic scholars state that these Marian dogmas are not found in the bible and yet are definitely truths revealed by God. So the question can be formulated clearly. How can the Catholic Church proclaim as divinely revealed truths what is not found in the Scriptures?

. . . a Divinely Revealed Truth?

The response to the question hinges on a more fundamental one. Who is revelation? Who is God’s self-disclosure? And, Who is God’s Truth? The response is automatic; Jesus, the Incarnate Wisdom of the Father. He is truth (cf Jn 14:6). To see him is to see the Father (cf Jn 14:9).  He is the wisdom of God (cf 1 Cor 1:24). To encounter Jesus in faith is to enter into Truth itself.

This faith encounter with God’s Truth Incarnate, Jesus, is manifested in the new life of Christians. Empowered by the Spirit of Truth sent by the Father through the Son (cf Jn. 15:26), the early followers of the risen Lord disclose Jesus the Truth in their preaching, in their worship, in their life. Their faith is actualized by the way they live; the manner and content of their prayers and preaching. As yet, nothing is written down. The Truth—Jesus—is alive and expressed in the life, teaching and worship of the early Christian community. Tradition is the technical word for this lived-out manifestation of the Truth who is Jesus.

Scripture and Tradition . . .

For a variety of reasons, the early Christians began to put into writing their new life, new worship, new teaching flowing from faith in Jesus Christ. To put it another way, Tradition was expressed on paper. The oral proclamation became the written Gospel. Relatively few of the writings of the early Christians were recognized by the Church as true mirrors of Tradition. So beautifully and authentically did some of them express the new life, teaching and worship flowing from faith in the risen Lord that the Christians concluded that these booklets were composed under the special influence of God’s inspiration. These writings – the Scripture – are recognized as the rule of our faith; they are Tradition put into literary format.

S cripture itself is actualized, made manifest through the ongoing life, teaching and worship of the Christian community. The handing down of the Scriptures  through preaching, through authentic Christian life, through the teachings of those commissioned by God for this task (the magisterium), manifest the Scriptures and make them evident to all. Considering the vast populations of the earth, few people ever read the Good News; the Church is the living Gospel for all to see and hear.

. . . Together, . . .

The more we immerse ourselves in a history book on the United States; the more the effect it has on our life. And also on the way that we understand the meaning of being an American. The more we immerse ourselves in Scripture and actualize it by our daily life,  through liturgy and teaching, the deeper effect it has on us and the way we understand the scarring of being a Christian.  The depths of Scripture are constantly being surfaced by the Church’s living of the written Word.

. . . Make Up a Single Sacred Deposit of the Word of God

Scripture and Tradition cannot, therefore, be considered two separate sources of God’s self- disclosure. “Sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God”. (On Revelation, 10). The “riches” (of Tradition) are poured out in the practice and life of the Church . . . by means of Tradition the Holy Scriptures themselves are more thoroughly understood and constant1y actualized in the Church.  Thus the Holy Spirit through whom the living voice of the Gospel rings through her in the world. leads believers to the full truth and makes the Word of Christ dwell in them in all its richness (cf Col 3:16 )”. (On Revelation, 8).

It is this dynamic Spirit-filled living, preaching, teaching, praying the Scriptures by the Church that discloses the depths of the bible.  The Church, “the pillar and ground of truth” (1 Tim 3:15) brings forth from this treasure “the old and the new” (cf Mt 13:52).  “There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. Thus, as the centuries go by, the Church is always advancing towards the plenitude of divine truth. Until eventually the words of God are fulfilled in her”. (On Revelation, 8).

In this actualization of Scripture by the Church the unfathomable riches of Christ are constantly unfolding.  When we therefore speak of the Scriptures, we are not talking about a dead word. It is a word that comes alive and manifests itself in all its beauty and depth through the life, teaching and worship of the Christian community.

Living . . .

Scripture and Tradition are therefore inextricably intertwined.  The moment we teach scripture, the moment we proclaim it, we are speaking about Scripture/Tradition. Scripture is not a book gathering dust in the attic, but a word  which is lived by the Spirit-filled Church and, in its living of the word of God; discloses in greater measure the fulness of its beauty and power.

. . . Word of God

It is this actualization of Scripture, this constant living of the faith that clarifies, for example, the role of Peter as the supreme pastor of the Church. It clarifies the portrait of Mary, the Mother of God. As the Church contemplates this first Christian through its prayer, its preaching, its teaching, she unfolds a new depth in the scriptural portraits of Mary. Guided by the indwelling Spirit (cf Jn. 16:13), the Church’s contemplation of the Scriptures discloses a profound depth in the portraits of Mary; she is without sin, she is in the fulness of her personality one with the risen Lord. She is the immaculate conception, assumed into heaven.

As someone contemplates a portrait of a beloved and sees new depths of meaning, so too the church in contemplating the portrait of Mary in prayer and proclamation, sees disclosed the “ever-virgin Mary,” as the early Church called the Mother of God. The truth is found in the Scriptures “virtually,”  i.e., its roots are firmly embedded in the written word and it flowers in full view through the life of the Church.

Can we find the perpetual virginity of Mary in the Word of God? Definitely. For in reality we cannot disentangle scripture from its proclamation through liturgy, Christian life, and its official teaching by those entrusted with this duty. Scripture/ Tradition make up the Word of God. And the Word of God clearly manifests that Mary is the ever- virgin, the sign of the Church in its total fidelity to the Lord.

(To Be Continued)