The Blessed Trinity
and Our Christian Vocation
The Blessed Trinity
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
The Blessed Virgin Mary
Mother of Jesus Christ,
God the Son
Chapter Objectives
The student will be able to understand:
• The Blessed Virgin Mary’s
relationship with Christ and
the Church during her
earthly life
• The New Eve
• The Blessed Virgin Mary’s
divine Motherhood
• The Immaculate
Conception
• The perpetual virginity of
the Blessed Virgin Mary
• The Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
• The Blessed Virgin Mary
as Mother of the Church
and every Christian
• The Blessed Virgin Mary
as Mediatrix and Coredemptrix
• Veneration of the Blessed
Virgin Mary
Keys to Chapter 7
• The Blessed Virgin Mary’s fiat or let it be done
unleashed a flood of treasures upon mankind.
• The Blessed Virgin Mary’s unique prerogatives
include being Mother of God, the Immaculate
Conception, Ever-Virgin, Mother of the Church
and all Christians, and having been assumed into
Heaven.
For Discussion:
• What does the Catholic Church teach about the
Virgin Mary?
• What are the privileges of Mary? What is their
source, and what do they mean?
• What is the role of Mary in the Christian life?
• What are some of the more recent apparitions of
Mary?
• What was the role of St. Joseph in the Holy
Family? What is his role in the Christian life?
The New Eve
Lesson Objectives
•The Blessed Virgin Mary’s relationship with Christ and the
Church during her earthly life
•The New Eve
The New Eve
Basic Questions
What was the Blessed Virgin Mary’s relationship
with Christ and his Church during her earthly life?
The Blessed Virgin Mary made possible the
Incarnation, inaugurated Christ’s public life at the
Wedding Feast of Cana, shared in his Passion from the
foot of the Cross, and prayed with the Church at its
birth on Pentecost.
The New Eve
Basic Questions
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary the new Eve?
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the New Eve whose fiat
brought God into the world in the fullness of time.
Anticipatory Set
Incorporate the wedding feast at Cana (cf. Jn
2:1-11) into the Opening Prayer and then
discuss what St. John reveals about the role
of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the life of
Christ.
Focus Question
What does St. John reveal about the Blessed
Virgin Mary at Cana?
She was present at the beginning of and initiated
the public ministry of Christ.
Focus Question
To whom did Christ entrust his Mother at the
end of his public life?
He entrusted her to St. John the Apostle.
Focus Question
Who accompanied the Apostles between the
Ascension and Pentecost?
As the Apostles and other disciples awaited the
promised Holy Spirit, they were with the Blessed
Virgin Mary, praying as a single family.
Focus Question
Who has written the longest account of
Christ’s childhood?
St. Luke wrote the most about Christ’s childhood.
Focus Question
When did God choose the Blessed Virgin
Mary to be the Mother of the Redeemer?
He chose her from all eternity, that is, even before
time began.
Focus Question
What set God’s plan of salvation in motion?
After the Fall, God promised Eve’s offspring would
triumph over evil.
Focus Question
How were children and childlessness seen in
the Old Testament?
A child was seen as a sign of God’s blessing, but
the childless were thought to be cursed by God.
Focus Question
What is common between Sarah and St.
Elizabeth?
They were elderly, barren women. God gave each a
child in old age. Sarah is the mother of Isaac, and
St. Elizabeth is the mother of St. John the Baptist.
Focus Question
What is God’s greatest intervention in human
history?
He sent the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed
Virgin Mary in Nazareth to ask if she would
cooperate in his plan of salvation.
Guided Exercise
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following
question:
Some people say Catholics give the Blessed Virgin Mary
undeserved importance. To what extent was she present
in the life of Christ and in the beginning of the
Church?
Focus Question
What does tradition teach about the Blessed
Virgin Mary’s ancestry?
She was of the line of David from the tribe of
Judah, and her parents were named Sts. Joachim
and Ann.
Focus Question
Where did the Blessed Virgin Mary reside?
She resided in Nazareth in Galilee.
Focus Question
What did the Blessed Virgin Mary’s fiat
accomplish?
God the Son, the Second Person of the Blessed
Trinity, became man in her womb.
Focus Question
What is the difference between a betrothal at
the time of the Annunciation and a Western,
modern-day engagement?
In Jewish Law, it was a legally binding contract to
enter into a future marriage, whereas a Western
engagement can be broken without legal
consequences.
Guided Exercise
Complete a focused reading of the two
passages from Redemptoris Mater 1 (p. 226) using
the following question:
How did Pope John Paul II interpret the term fullness
of time?
Focus Question
How do we know the Blessed Virgin Mary was
a virgin at the time of Christ’s conception?
According to St. Luke, she and St. Joseph were not
yet living as husband and wife. In addition, she said
to the Archangel Gabriel, “How shall this
[conception] be, since I have no husband?” (Lk
1:34).
Focus Question
Who foretold the Blessed Virgin Mary’s
virginal conception of Christ?
Isaiah prophesied:“A young woman shall conceive,
and bear a son” (Is 7:14).
Focus Question
What role did St. Joseph play in the
conception of Christ?
None; Christ “was conceived by the power of the
Holy Spirit” (Nicene Creed).
Focus Question
Why did St. Joseph resolve to send away the
Blessed Virgin Mary quietly rather than obtain a
public divorce?
This would have spared her shame and the harsh
consequences of the Mosaic Law.
Focus Question
How did St. Joseph learn he could rightfully
marry the Blessed Virgin Mary?
In a dream, God revealed the virginal conception to
him.
Focus Question
Why does St. Luke refer to Christ as “being
the son (as was supposed) of Joseph”?
People naturally assumed Christ to be the natural
son of St. Joseph, but he is not.
Focus Question
How is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s yes related to
Eve’s no?
With complete humility and submission, the Blessed
Virgin Mary said yes to God’s will and brought
salvation into the world. Eve’s no to God’s will
brought sin into the world. The Blessed Virgin
Mary is thus the New Eve, accomplishing what Eve
could not.
The Immaculately
Conceived Mother of God
Lesson Objectives
•The Blessed Virgin Mary’s divine Motherhood
•The Immaculate Conception
The Immaculately Conceived
Mother of God
Basic Questions
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of
God?
In the generation of a new human person, parents give their child
a body and God directly infuses the child’s soul. Nevertheless, the
parents are the parents of the entire child. The Blessed Virgin
Mary is the origin of the human body of Christ; thus, she is the
Mother of the whole Person of Christ, who is the divine Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity, possessing two natures; human
and divine.
The Immaculately Conceived
Mother of God
Basic Questions
What is the Immaculate Conception?
“The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of
her conception, by a unique grace and privilege of the
omnipotent God and in consideration of the merits of
Christ Jesus the Savior of the Human Race, was preserved
free from all stain of original sin.” This is the dogma of
the Immaculate Conception.
Anticipatory Set
Incorporate the Annunciation (cf. Lk 1:2638) into the Opening Prayer and then discuss
what can be inferred about the character of
the Blessed Virgin Mary from this exchange.
Focus Question
How do the Gospels usually refer to the
Blessed Virgin Mary?
She is called the Mother of Jesus.
Focus Question
What other title have Christians used from the
first centuries?
They have also called her the Bearer, or Mother, of
God.
Focus Question
When was the doctrine of Mary as the Mother
of God solemnly defined?
It was solemnly defined at the Ecumenical Council
of Ephesus (AD 431).
Focus Question
How does Scripture support the divine
Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
The New Testament teaches she is the Mother of
Christ in the flesh. The Archangel Gabriel said her
child would be called Son of God. St. Elizabeth
referred to her as the mother of my Lord. St. Paul
states, “God sent forth his Son, born of a woman.”
Focus Question
What is St. Joseph’s stature in Christian
hagiography?
He is the greatest saint after the Blessed Virgin
Mary.
Extension:
Hagiography is the study of saints.
Focus Question
What is the relationship of St. Joseph to the
Blessed Virgin Mary and Christ?
He is her spouse and his foster father and guardian.
Focus Question
Why does the Church honor St. Joseph as the
Patron of the Universal Church?
God chose him to be the guardian of the Holy
Family.
Extension:
The Church calls on St. Joseph to look after the
members of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ.
Focus Question
What is St. Joseph’s lineage?
Like the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph is of the
line of David.
Focus Question
What was St. Joseph’s trade?
He was a carpenter.
Focus Question
How is St. Joseph an example of perfect trust
in God?
He simply did as instructed by God through the
agency of the angel. He also carried out everything
prescribed in the Mosaic Law for his spouse and the
Christ child.
Focus Question
How many words of St. Joseph are recorded
in Scripture?
Not one is recorded.
Extension:
St. Joseph is one who acts rather than talks.
Guided Exercise
Complete a paragraph shrink of the passage
from Redemptoris Custos, 17 (p. 230).
Guided Exercise
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following
question:
If God exists from all eternity, how can the Blessed
Virgin Mary be the Mother of God?
Focus Question
What is the doctrine of the Immaculate
Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
From the moment of conception, she was preserved
from all stain of Original Sin by God’s grace
through the merits of Christ.
Focus Question
When was the dogma of the Immaculate
Conception solemnly proclaimed?
While belief in the Immaculate Conception goes
back to the early Church, it was solemnly
proclaimed on December 8, 1854.
Focus Question
What contemporary event seemed to confirm
the Church’s proclamation of the Immaculate
Conception?
The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette
at Lourdes four years after Pope Bl. Pius IX had
defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. She
identified herself thus; “I am the Immaculate
Conception.”
Focus Question
What are the exceptions to the Church’s
teaching that all have sinned (cf. Rom 3:23)?
Christ took on human nature in all things but sin.
The Blessed Virgin Mary is also excluded from this
affirmation because of a special privilege of God
through the merits of Christ.
Focus Question
What is unusual about the Archangel Gabriel’s
greeting to the Blessed Virgin Mary: “Hail, full
of grace” (Lk 1:28)?
This phrase had never been applied to a person in
Scripture, and afterward it has only been applied to
Christ.
Focus Question
Why did God make Mary to be full of grace?
This prepared her to fulfill perfectly her unique
mission as the Mother of God. Original Sin is
incompatible with the fullness of grace.
Guided Exercise
Conduct a think/pair/share using the following
question:
How is the Blessed Virgin Mary like Eve before the
Fall?
Focus Question
How did Queen Esther find favor with her
king?
The virgin Esther was loved by the king, who found
in her more grace and favor than in all other virgins.
Thus, he chose her to be his queen.
Focus Question
How did the Blessed Virgin Mary find favor
with her King?
Her King is God himself, who found her to be not
only with more grace than others but full of grace,
the one he would crown Queen of Heaven and
earth.
Ever-Virgin and
Assumed into Heaven
Lesson Objectives
•The Perpetual Virginity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
•The Assumption
Ever-Virgin and
Assumed into Heaven
Basic Questions
What is the doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity?
The Blessed Virgin Mary was a true virgin when she
conceived Christ, and she remained a virgin for the rest
of her life, underscoring the importance of virginity and
her supernatural Maternity.
Ever-Virgin and
Assumed into Heaven
Basic Questions
What is the dogma of the Assumption?
Having completed the course of her earthly life, the
Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed body and soul into
Heaven.
Anticipatory Set
Complete a focused reading of Genesis 5
using the following question:
How is Enoch different from every other patriarch in
Scripture?
Focus Question
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary said to have
had a virgin birth?
Christ was conceived by the power of the Holy
Spirit, i.e., the Blessed Virgin Mary was a virgin
when she gave birth to Christ.
Focus Question
Did the Blessed Virgin Mary have marital
relations after the Birth of Christ?
No; the Church Fathers attest to this from the
earliest times; she remained a virgin after the Birth
of Christ.
Focus Question
What miraculous event confirmed the
authenticity of St. Bernadette’s apparitions?
She was told by the lady to dig in the dry ground,
and there was discovered a spring that has
miraculous powers of healing.
Focus Question
Why was it fortuitous for the lady to have
identified herself; “I am the Immaculate
Conception”?
This dogma had been solemnly defined four years
earlier. Being an uneducated peasant girl, St.
Bernadette most likely had never heard of this
dogma and did not understand it.
Focus Question
What evidence demonstrates the authenticity of
the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary at
Lourdes?
First, the Church has declared these apparitions
authentic. Second, sixty-seven people have been declared
miraculously healed of desperate illnesses and disabilities
under the strictest medical scrutiny. Third, countless
people claim to have received favors through Lourdes.
Focus Question
Who are the brothers and sisters of Christ?
These are cousins or other close relatives.
Extension:
St. James, whose father is Cleophas, is called a
brother of Christ; he is a cousin.
Focus Question
How does Christ’s having entrusted the
Blessed Virgin Mary to St. John indicate she
had no other children?
If she had other children, there would have been no
need to entrust her and St. John to each other as
mother and son. Instead, she would have lived with
one of her natural children.
Focus Question
What is the dogma of the Assumption?
Having completed the course of her earthly life, the
Blessed Virgin Mary was taken body and soul into
Heaven. She did not suffer the separation of body
and soul.
Focus Question
How long has the Church been celebrating the
Assumption?
It has celebrated this feast since the fourth century.
Focus Question
How is the Assumption implied in the Book
of Revelation?
First, the liturgy of the Church views the “woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and
on her head a crown of twelve stars,” to be a reference to
the Blessed Virgin Mary in Heaven. Second, “the ark
of his covenant was seen within [God’s] temple,” which
Ark of the New Covenant is the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Focus Question
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Ark of the
New Covenant?
The Ark was an ornate container that carried the
tablets of the Old Covenant. The Blessed Virgin
Mary bore the Person of the New Covenant, Jesus
Christ.
Guided Exercise
Complete a focused reading of the paragraph
“Mary’s perpetual virginity…” (p. 235) using
the following question:
Why did God not want the Blessed Virgin Mary to
have borne other children?
Guided Exercise
Conduct a paragraph shrink of the paragraph
“As daughter of God the Father…” (p. 235).
Mother and
Co-Redemptrix
Lesson Objectives
•The Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church and of
every Christian
•The Blessed Virgin Mary as Mediatrix and Co-redemptrix
Mother and Co-Redemptrix
Basic Questions
What does it mean to say the Blessed Virgin Mary is
the Mother of the Church and of every Christian?
Because she is the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin
Mary is also the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ
(the Church) and of every Christian.
Mother and Co-Redemptrix
Basic Questions
How is the Blessed Virgin Mary Mediatrix and Coredemptrix?
Because of the singular way in which she cooperated in
Christ’s Mediation and Redemption, the Blessed
Virgin Mary is able to intercede for people as
Mediatrix and Co-redemptrix.
Anticipatory Set
Read 1 Timothy 2:1-6 and then discuss the
following question:
The one Mediator between God and men is Christ,
yet St. Timothy and those under his care are
encouraged to mediate on behalf of all men. How
can these two statements be reconciled?
Focus Question
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of
Christians in the order of grace?
While not their mother in the order of nature, in
the order of grace, she cooperated in a singular way
in Christ’s work to restore supernatural life to souls.
Focus Question
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary the Mother of
the Church?
As the Mother of Christ, she is the natural Mother
of his human Body and thus the supernatural
Mother of his Mystical Body, which is the Church,
into which all Christians are baptized.
Focus Question
When did Christ teach the spiritual
Motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
He taught it from the Cross when he said to her,
“Woman, behold your son!” and to St. John,
“Behold your mother!” He gave his Mother to the
Church.
Focus Question
What does the Motherhood of the Blessed
Virgin Mary mean in the order of grace?
Through Baptism, every Christian is incorporated
into the Mystical Body of Christ, of which she is
the Mother.
Focus Question
What are some traditional Marian devotions?
They include the Rosary, the Hail Mary, the
Memorare, several litanies, and the Salve Regina.
Focus Question
What is the focus of the meditations in the
Rosary?
The Mysteries of the Rosary are drawn from the
major events of the life of Christ.
Graphic Organizer
Complete the following table about the women and the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
Biblical Source
The Protoevangelium (Gn
3:15)
The wedding feast at
Cana (Jn 2:4)
The Cross of Christ (Jn
19:26)
The Book of Revelation
(Rev 12:1-17)
Origin of the
Symbol
Meaning of the Symbol
Focus Question
How can human beings be called co-mediators
or co-redeemers with Christ?
Christ the Redeemer wishes to use human
instruments to accomplish the work of salvation.
Focus Question
What is an example of the Blessed Virgin
Mary’s mediation during her life?
At the wedding feast at Cana, she saw the hosts had
run out of wine and asked Christ to perform his
first miracle.
Focus Question
When did the Blessed Virgin Mary pray with
her Son’s followers during her life?
She prayed with them in the Upper Room while they
awaited the Holy Spirit.
Focus Question
What is the difference between Christ’s
mediation and all others?
He mediates by right as the God-man. Christians
mediate by participation in his one mediation.
Focus Question
How do ministerial priesthood and the common
priesthood of the faithful relate to the mediation
of Christ?
A ministerial priest participates in Christ’s
mediation, bringing God’s grace to his people. As
members of the common priesthood of the faithful,
every Christian is called to be a co-worker or comediator with Christ to bring grace to others.
Focus Question
Who is the most effective co-mediator?
The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most effective coworker with Christ.
Focus Question
What is the definition of a mediatrix?
It refers to a woman who mediates, or intercedes.
Focus Question
Why does the title Mediatrix apply to the
Blessed Virgin Mary?
She cooperates in Christ’s mediation in a unique
way.
Focus Question
How was the Blessed Virgin Mary a Mediatrix
during her life?
Mary said yes to the Incarnation, which brought
Christ into the world.
Focus Question
How does the Blessed Virgin Mary mediate in
Heaven?
As a privilege of her divine motherhood, she
intercedes with her Son on behalf of her children,
the members of the Mystical Body of Christ.
Guided Exercise
Complete a think/pair/share using the selection
from Pope John Paul II’s audience (p. 238) and
the following question:
Every Christian is called to cooperate in Christ’s
redemption. How is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s
cooperation unique and unrepeatable?
Focus Question
What is the definition of a co-redemptrix?
It refers to a woman who, along with another person,
redeems someone.
Focus Question
Why does the title Co-redemptrix apply to the
Blessed Virgin Mary?
She cooperated fully in Christ’s Redemption.
Focus Question
How does the Blessed Virgin Mary co-redeem?
She cooperated fully in the Redemption in a unique and
unrepeatable way. Had she not said yes to God, Christ
would not have been Incarnated in her and been able to
redeem the world in the way he willed. Throughout her
life, the Blessed Virgin Mary united herself completely
to the will of God and his work of the Redemption.
Veneration of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Lesson Objectives
•Veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Veneration of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
Basic Questions
Should the Blessed Virgin Mary be venerated?
Christians are right to venerate the Blessed Virgin
Mary and to go to her for all their needs because of the
great privileges and closeness to her Son, Jesus Christ.
Anticipatory Set
Incorporate the Magnificat (cf. Lk 1:46-55) into
the Opening Prayer and then discuss the
following:
•The context of the Magnificat within the Gospel of
Luke
•What God has done for the Blessed Virgin Mary
•How the Blessed Virgin Mary expects history will
regard her
•How the Blessed Virgin Mary relates to Abraham.
Focus Question
Is the Hail Mary a biblical prayer?
Yes; the first half quotes the greeting from the
Archangel Gabriel and St. Elizabeth as recorded in
the Gospel of St. Luke (cf. 1:28, 42).
Focus Question
How old is artistic representation of the
Blessed Virgin Mary?
The first representations of the Blessed Virgin
Mary with the Christ Child are found in the
Roman catacombs, dating from the second to the
fourth centuries.
Focus Question
How is veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary
foretold by Mary himself?
In the Magnificat, she said, “Behold, henceforth all
generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty
has done great things for me, and holy is his name”
(Lk 1:48-49). Because of what God has done for
her, people until the end of time will say she is
blessed.
Focus Question
What event culminated in the baptism of nine
million natives of Mexico?
The appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St.
Juan Diego.
Focus Question
What miracles did the Blessed Virgin Mary
perform through St. Juan Diego?
She healed his uncle and left an image of herself on
his tilma.
Guided Exercise
Search the Internet for information about the
image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, looking at
the image itself and some of its spectacular
hidden aspects.
Focus Question
Why does a life that compromises moral and
ethical values in order to seek fame, fortune, and
pleasure stand in stark contrast to the example
of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
She sought only the will of God and did nothing to
compromise that.
Focus Question
Why is the Blessed Virgin Mary seen much
more than heard in Scripture?
Her life was one of deeds performed discreetly and
quietly.
Focus Question
How did the Blessed Virgin Mary spend most
of her life?
She fulfilled the will of God by serving St. Joseph
and Christ and by supporting the Church after the
Ascension.