Did Mary Remain a Virgin?

Did Mary Remain a Virgin? #1
Source:
Audio: FF - Did Mary Remain a Virgin 1.mp3

1. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of Christ remained a virgin her entire life.

2. This was also the belief of the Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin.  Surprisingly, however, today most Protestants reject this belief.  They ask “If Mary remained a virgin, then why does the Bible refer to the brothers and sisters of the Lord in Mark Chapter 6 Verse 3”?  The answer is that, in ancient Jewish culture, the terms "brother" and "sister" were not only used for the children of the same parents but also for relatives.  The word used in the Bible's original Greek to mean “brother” was (a-del-foss) adelphos, which can also mean relative, cousin, or kinsman as well as sibling.  In a similar way, in Mark Chapter 6 Verse 17 Herod's half-brother Philip is referred to as his brother.  Today we often refer to fellow Christians as brothers and sisters. Likewise, the first Christians also addressed each other as brother or sister even when they were unrelated biologically.

3. Examining the truths of the Catholic faith, this is FaithForensics.org.

Did Mary Remain a Virgin? #2
Source: 
Audio: FF - Did Mary Remain a Virgin 2.mp3

1. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of Christ remained a virgin her entire life.

2. This was also the belief of the Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin.  Surprisingly, however, today most Protestants reject this belief.  Some ask “If Mary remained a virgin, then why does the Bible refer to James and Joseph, as the brother of Jesus in Matthew Chapter 13 Verse 55?”  The Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 500 states "The Church has always understood these passages as not referring to other children of the Virgin Mary.  In fact, James and Joseph, called the ‘brothers of Jesus’, are the sons of another Mary, a disciple of Christ, whom St. Matthew significantly calls ‘the other Mary’."  Paragraph 499 goes on to say that "Even Christ's birth did not diminish his mother's virginal integrity, but sanctified it.  And so the liturgy of the Church celebrates Mary as the Ever-virgin."

3. Examining the truths of the Catholic faith, this is FaithForensics.org.

Did Mary Remain a Virgin? #3
Source:
Audio: FF - Did Mary Remain a Virgin 3.mp3

1. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of Christ remained a virgin her entire life.

2. This was also the belief of the Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin.  Surprisingly, however, today most Protestants reject this belief.  Some say that Mary must have had more children because Luke Chapter 2 Verse 7 refers to Jesus as "her firstborn son".  The problem with this thinking is that in biblical culture, "firstborn" was simply a legal term referring to the child who first "opens the womb".  The firstborn was required by the law of Moses, to be consecrated to God soon after birth.  In the terminology of the time, using the word "firstborn" to describe the birth of Jesus does not imply that Mary later gave birth to other children.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church beautifully proclaims in paragraph 501: "Jesus is Mary's only son, but her spiritual motherhood extends to all men whom indeed he came to save."

3. Examining the truths of the Catholic faith, this is FaithForensics.org.

Did Mary Remain a Virgin? #4
Source:
Audio: FF - Did Mary Remain a Virgin 4.mp3

1. The Catholic Church teaches that Mary, the Mother of Christ remained a virgin her entire life.

2. This was also the belief of the Protestant reformers Luther and Calvin.  Surprisingly, however, today most Protestants reject this belief, reasoning that if Jesus did not have any brothers or sisters, why does the Bible specifically state “brothers and sisters of the Lord”?  The Catholic Church counters this reasoning by asking the question: if these brothers and sisters were truly siblings, where were they during the Crucifixion and death of their brother?  Mary and a few other women were there, but the only man mentioned with them at Calvary was the Apostle John.  And before Jesus died on the cross, in John Chapter 19 Verse 27 he said to Mary, "Woman, behold your son," and then to John, "Behold, your mother. And from that hour the disciple took her into his home."  Why would Jesus entrust his mother to John if he had siblings who could have cared for her?  This only makes sense if Mary was alone.

3. Examining the truths of the Catholic faith, this is FaithForensics.org.