According to "The New Concise Catholic Dictionary" by Reynolds R.
Ekstrom, the term dogma is defined as "an infallible and solemnly
recognized doctrine of the universal Catholic community". This term
dogma was originally derived from the Greek language in a Greek word
meaning "that which one thinks to be true". During the apostolic
period, the term was used to distinguish Christian belief from non-Christian
belief. At the time of the Middle Ages, especially among the "scholastics",
the term was not used so much anymore. One of the "scholastics" - more particularly
of the "high scholasticism" school of theology - St. Thomas Aquinas was said to
have preferred the use of the term "article of faith" to refer to any dogmatic
reality. Today, in our contemporary age, the term dogma is often interchangeably
used with the word doctrine. Those in theology who are technically well-versed
say that there is really a difference between dogma and doctrine and that the
terms must be used carefully in formal presentations: either verbal or written.
According to these scholars the difference is this: dogmas relate the truth
of God's revelation, while doctrines teach how a particular dogma may be
understood [The New Dictionary of Theology, by editors Komonchak, Collins
and Lane].
Marian dogmas
The truth on Mary is given through the dogmas of: her divine motherhood
(Theotokos), her perpetual virginity, her immaculate conception,
and her assumption. These revealed truths on Mary celebrate the dignity
of her "giving birth to her Creator" and all the implications that
accompany this special honor. The abovementioned dogmas will be treated
and defined individually in the paragraphs following.
The Motherhood of God, "Theotokos"
This was the first Marian dogma. It proclaims Mary as truly the Mother
of God the Son made man. This truth was officially declared in the early
ecumenical council of Ephesus in 431 A.D. That council declared and proclaimed
thus: "the Holy Virgin is the Mother of God since according to the flesh
she brought forth the Word of God made flesh". This truth on the Motherhood
of Mary is celebrated by all Catholics all over the world in the Eucharistic
liturgy of the Church every 1st of January.
The Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Several centuries later after the declaration of "Theotokos" in the Council
of Ephesus, the Church then defined the dogma of Mary's perpetual virginity.
It was at the Lateran Council in 649 A.D. which declared that: "She [Mary]
conceived without seed, of the Holy Spirit...and without injury brought him [Jesus]
forth...and after birth preserved her virginity inviolate".
The Immaculate Conception
It was only a thousand years later when the Church declared the dogma
of the Immaculate Conception. This dogma reveals the truth that: "The
Most Holy Virgin Mary was, in the first moment of her conception,
by a unique gift of grace and privilege of Almighty God, in view of
the merits of Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of mankind, preserved free
from all stain of original sin". This declaration was made during the
pontificate of Pope Pius IX, in the document "Ineffabilis Deus", 1854.
This dogma confirms centuries of Catholic belief that Mary who was
greeted by the angel Gabriel as "full of grace" (Luke 1:28), really
entered into salvation history and human civilization as without
stain of original sin.
The Assumption of Mary
Just a few decades after the declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception, the dogma of the Assumption of Mary was also defined by
the Church. According to the document of Pope Pius XII, "Munificentissimus
Deus" (1950), "Mary, the immaculate perpetually Virgin Mother of
God, after the completion of her earthly life, was assumed body
and soul into the glory of Heaven". This dogma is related to the
truth that since the victory of Christ won over the effects of sin,
like death and corruption, Mary intimately shared in the privilege of
not suffering death and corruption that came from the Evil One and
his seed.
Conclusion
Although these dogmas on the Blessed Mother of God reveal to us the
great privilege and gift of grace Mary has received from God by virtue
of her great humility and obedience to His will, we are also called
to rightfully place her role as that of pointing to the central figure
of Christ her Son. The centrality of Christ and the bible was foremost
in the most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church, Vatican II.
This downplayed devotion to Mary [and the saints]. However, though
Marian devotion has decreased after that, popular piety and the cult
of prayer to Mary has recovered strength on its own. A good and concrete
sign of this revival is the increasing numbers of pilgrims every year
in the great Marian shrines such as in: Aparecida, Guadalupe, Lourdes,
Fatima, and Czestochowa.
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