Handmaid of the Lord

THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE VIRGIN MARY

“Consecrate to me every firstborn male.
The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites
belongs to me, whether human or animal.”
Exodus 13, 2

And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought
him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord,
“Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice
according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “a pair o turtledoves, or two young pigeons.”
Luke 2, 22-24

In presenting the infant Jesus in the Temple, Mary was consecrating her firstborn son (Hebrew בְּכוֹר / bəḵōr) to God. This was a tradition in Israel where the first male offspring of every womb, whether human or domestic animal, was dedicated to the service of God. The expression “to open the womb” is a Hebrew idiom that refers to the firstborn male of one’s mother or the firstborn son of the womb. According to the law, the firstborn male was dedicated to God as His servant and the principal heir of his father’s estate. The Mosaic law applied only to those born per the laws of nature, including the full spectrum of the natural process of human procreation from the moment of conception to the time of birth.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and not by the seed of Joseph. His birth was not a normal one, as it was for all the Jews by the seed of man, being descendants of Adam. His birth was as miraculous as his conception was. If our Lord had been born typically, that is, by physically passing through his mother’s birth canal, he would then have been subject to the laws of nature and in need of purification himself, like the rest of sinful humanity.

Jesus, as a divine person in the flesh, did not require redemption through circumcision before his dedication to God. Being divine, he chose not to be born in a way that would have made him ritually impure. His miraculous conception and birth kept him pure in the Father’s eyes, and he did not require purification before entering the temple for his consecration. The consecration ritual only served as a symbolic gesture of his separation from sinful humanity and his consecration to God in holiness as His servant. Unlike other Jewish firstborn sons, Jesus was set apart from sinful humanity by his divine nature. There was no need for him to be ritualistically set apart and made holy and acceptable to God unless he had been born naturally and experienced natural corruption in childbirth.

“You are to be holy to me
because I, the LORD, am holy,
and I have set you apart
from the nations to be my own.”
Leviticus 20, 26

The term “sanctification” (Qadosh) in the original Hebrew context of this ritual means “to leave behind and be separate from for a distinct purpose” and being “set apart” by God to serve Him. This involves separating the firstborn offspring from what is profane and distancing them from any uncleanliness, to be acceptable to God as His chosen servant. However, Jesus was sinless by nature and was not conceived and begotten in a profane way, unlike all human beings since the Fall of Adam and Eve. He did not have to leave behind anything profane or distance himself from any uncleanliness since he was conceived and born through the activity of the Holy Spirit and not by the seed of man. He went through the entire birth process in complete subjugation to God.

The Israelites were chosen by God to be a holy people and were set apart from the rest of the pagan nations. They were expected to bring forth the Messiah into the world. To sanctify the Hebrew people, God established a covenant with them. Mary is known as Daughter Zion and represents the free Woman of Promise who is expected to bring forth the Messiah. This is reflected in the Bible verse, “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body” (Ps 132:11; Lk 1:42; Gen 3:15). Therefore, at the appointed time, she also had to be holy to God and separated from the sinful nature of humanity, but in a more exceptional way than it was for her people, viz., her Immaculate Conception. God said to the serpent: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed” (Gen 3:15). Sin and, as a result, the corruption of death are the offspring of the serpent, together with sinful humanity. Even the birth process is affected by corruption because of the fall of Adam and Eve through the serpent’s cunning.

Mary was elevated from her lowly status when God sanctified and redeemed her soul at the moment of her conception, setting her apart to become the mother of our Lord. Through this unique grace from God, she was preserved from contracting the stain of original sin and did not require ritual purification according to the Mosaic Law. As the mother of the divine Messiah, she did not need to be purified after conceiving and bearing Jesus in a miraculous manner that preserved her virginal and physical integrity and mental or spiritual distancing from God.

In the past, if someone unintentionally broke the laws of ceremonial cleanliness (such as giving birth to a child), they needed to make a sin offering. This offering was not to atone for a moral fault but to cleanse the person of their ritual impurity. After the person had abstained from entering the temple area due to their impure state, the sin offering would reinstate them into regular temple service. This offering was not intended for the person who had become defiled, but rather for the sanctuary that would be defiled by their previous condition or state.

According to Jewish law, any woman who gave birth was required to make a sin offering to purify herself. If Jesus had been born naturally, he and his mother, Mary, would have become impure and, therefore, sinful, making them unable to enter the temple precincts. This would not be fitting for the Son of Mary or his mother, given Jesus’ divine identity. Therefore, Mary was not required to make a sin offering as she gave birth to Jesus in a supernatural way and was not considered impure. It’s important to note that the sin offering had nothing to do with any moral transgressions Mary might have committed against the law and does not brand her as a sinner.

When it was time for Mary and Jesus to undergo the purification process, they were exempt from the law, as neither was entirely subject to the laws of procreation. Jesus was conceived and born by God’s decree rather than man’s will. He was the seed of the free, promised woman whose womb had not been opened by the seed of man. Furthermore, he did not cause his mother to go into labor and experience the pains of childbirth, as she had been preserved free from the stain of original sin. According to Genesis 3:16, women were to experience pain and sorrow in childbirth, and their husbands would rule over them. However, Luke 1:35 contradicts this, stating that the Holy Spirit will overshadow Mary, and she will give birth to a son who is both divine and holy. Mary, the Holy Spirit’s pure and chaste spouse, did not need to undergo purification for conceiving and giving birth to Jesus.

“If a woman having received seed shall bear a man child,
she shall be unclean seven days, according to the days
of the separation of her flowers. And on the eighth day the
infant shall be circumcised: But she shall remain three and
thirty days in the blood of her purification.”
Leviticus 12, 2-4

The concept of a mother’s ritual impurity includes the responsibility of bringing another sinner into the world. Therefore, if Mary needed to be purified after giving birth to Jesus, we can assume that she gave birth to a potential sinner. However, Eve gave birth to Cain and was subjected to the laws of nature because of her fall from grace. On the other hand, God chose Mary to bring forth the new Adam and divine Messiah who would reconcile the world to God and regenerate mankind with His saving grace. Because of this, God put Mary in enmity with the serpent and exempted her from having to suffer the penalty for Eve’s transgression.

In the words of Elizabeth, a kinswoman of Mary, the divine truth is revealed that Mary is “most blessed (eulogemene) among women.” Her Son is “blessed” (eulogemenos) as well (Lk 1:42). This is because both Mary and Jesus are set apart from sinful humanity and consecrated to God. Elizabeth’s words relate back to the Immaculate Conception of Mary and the eternal pre-existence of Jesus. The past participle “blessed” is only used in the New Testament to describe Jesus, Mary, and the kingdom of heaven (Mk 11:10). Both Mary and Jesus are preserved free from the captivity of sin and the corruption of death in the fallen world. The kingdom of Satan stands in opposition to the kingdom of God.

It’s important to note that the Jewish concept of ritual impurity (niddah) was primarily a spiritual and mental condition (tumah), rather than a physical one. This condition prevented women, including new mothers, from entering the temple court. Therefore, Mary did not necessarily have to experience bleeding during Jesus’ birth to be considered ritually impure. In fact, a woman becomes impure due to childbirth, even if there is no blood involved. We read in the Niddah 27b: “According to the order of all the uncleanness mentioned regarding the menstruating woman (נִדָּה), she becomes unclean because of giving birth. This is true even if the womb opens without any issue of blood.”  Understanding the concept of tumah is crucial to fully grasp the significance of Mary’s situation.

Before she travailed, she brought forth;
before her pain came,
she was delivered of a man-child.
Isaiah 66, 7

According to Jewish tradition, before offering sacrifices in the Temple, men and women were required to immerse themselves fully in a mikvah, a ritual purification pool. Similarly, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was also expected to ritually bathe in the pool before presenting her purification sacrifices. The purpose of this purification was to remove any impurities associated with childbirth, which were seen as a barrier to communing with God. The burnt offering (olah) was meant to signify the desire to commune with God. The Hebrew word for olah implies ascending from the profane to the sacred. Although procreation was viewed as holy and giving birth was considered sacred, the natural birth process was also seen as tainted by physical corruption. This corruption was seen as a penalty for sin, evocative of death and decay. Such an ascension had already occurred for Mary at the precise moment of her conception in the womb and would recur at the end of her earthly life.

Mary did not conceive and bear Jesus by human will. Instead, by the will of God the Father and through the power of the Holy Spirit, the divine Word became man and was born in this world. Mary did not experience defilement and was purified by giving birth to her divine Son while in close communion with God and by His will. God did not allow her to be distant from Him during the act of giving birth to His Son. By giving birth to Jesus, Mary drew even closer to God. The holy Child she bore did, in fact, increase her sanctification in her womb. At the same time, he had experienced none of the defilement or spiritual and mental distance from God involved in a completely natural birth. The birth of Jesus was miraculous and virginal. The Psalmist foretells this concerning our Lord’s birth and death under the law of nature: “Neither will you allow your holy one to see corruption” (Ps 16:10).

If Jesus had been conceived and born naturally like any other Jewish firstborn son, he would have been considered ritually impure or in a state of tumah, along with his mother Mary, until his circumcision. The circumcision would have prepared him for his presentation to God. The Gospel of Luke mentions that it was time for their purification, not only Mary’s. The rites of purification and circumcision were intended to serve as a reminder of the spiritual imperfection and sin inherited by every child descended from Adam by the seed of man.

As a religiously devout Jewish mother, Mary submitted herself and her son to the legal requirements under which they were born. Even though these requirements did not necessarily apply to Jesus and Mary, they followed them in obedience to God, who had instituted the Mosaic law. Mary consecrated her son to God by submitting to the purification ritual after childbirth, as was expected of Jewish mothers. Similarly, Jesus underwent circumcision, a purification ritual that symbolized being made spiritually clean. Jesus did this to consecrate himself to God in humble human obedience to His will, even though he was naturally holy and did not require baptism. Jesus instructed John to baptize him to “fulfill all righteousness,” which was his way of saying yes to God’s will.

Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel.
Isaiah 7, 14

The story of Mary giving birth to Jesus includes the details of her being a virgin at the time. According to Isaiah, the virgin shall “bring forth a son,” which means that Mary’s act of giving birth to Jesus was also virginal. The Greek word “τέξεται” translates to “bring forth” or “cause to be born” [from וֹי ל דת (u·ildth: literally “one giving birth”] and is derived from the Hebrew word “yalad” which means “to bear.” This verse refers to two events: the conception and birth of Jesus. Mary’s conception was virginal since she had not had sexual intercourse, and the act of giving birth was also virginal since Jesus did not open his mother’s womb when he was born. Therefore, Mary was a virgin both at the time of Christ’s birth and conception (as stated in Isaiah 66:7).

According to the law, Jesus and Mary would have needed purification if Joseph had fathered Jesus. Leviticus 12:2 in the Hebrew OT states that if a woman conceives or “receives seed” and gives birth to a male, she shall be unclean for seven days, as in the days of her menstrual flow. The verb “conceives” can be paraphrased as “having received seed.” In this case, the verb phrase Taz ri a תַזְרִ֔יע (“having received seed”) is derived from the 3-consonant root word zera (seed), which can mean either “offspring” or “virile semen,” the latter being the intended definition in Leviticus.

Hence, the law applied only to the offspring of human paternal origin. Jesus, however, was considered the “offspring” of his mother, who was the free woman of promise mentioned in Genesis 3:15 and the “trigger sign” of the restoration of the Davidic kingdom foretold by the prophets, as mentioned in Revelation 12:1. Unlike other children who were begotten by their fathers’ seed, Jesus was not conceived by Joseph’s tainted seed. Instead, the Virgin Mary conceived and gave birth to Jesus through the Father’s will and the Holy Spirit’s immediate agency. Her womb remained closed when she conceived and gave birth to Jesus. As a result, there was no need for the mother of our Lord to be cleansed, and when the time came for their purification, it was essentially unnecessary according to the law.

“The Word will become flesh,
and the Son of God the son of man–
the Pure One opening purely that pure womb,
which generates men unto God.”
St. Irenaeus , Against Heresies, 4, 33, 12
(A.D. 180-190)

I will declare the decree:
The LORD hath said unto me,
Thou art my Son;
This day have I begotten thee.
Psalm 2, 7

AVE MARIA