Holy Queen, Lesson 5.4

Holy Queen: The Mother of God in the Word of God

Lesson Five: The All-Holy Mother of God

Lesson Objectives

  1. To understand the relationship between Catholic teaching about Mary and the Scriptural portrayal of Mary.
  2. To understand the biblical foundations of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception.
  3. To appreciate how Catholic belief in the Immaculate Conception flows from the New Testament portrait of Mary as the “New Eve”

IV. Study Questions

1. What is dogma? What is the relationship between dogma and Scripture?

2. What are the three "biblical portraits" that form the foundations of Catholic dogmas and doctrines concerning Mary.

3. Why is Genesis 3:15 known as the "first gospel"? What does God promise concerning the serpent and the woman?

4. How does the "first gospel" form part of the biblical foundation of the Immaculate Conception dogma?

5. What does the Greek word kecharitomene mean? How does the biblical story of the annunciation form part of the biblical foundation of the Immaculate Conception dogma?

Begin Lesson 6

Lesson Outline

  1. The Truth About Mary
    1. Councils and the Bible
    2. Dogmas and the Bible
  2. Mary and the First Gospel
    1. Original Sin, Original Enmity
    2. Offspring and Death
    3. From Scripture to Dogma
  3. Hailing Mary
    1. Full of Grace
    2. From Bible to Liturgy
  4. Study Questions

Other Lessons

  • Lesson One: A Biblical Introduction to Mary
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To understand the basic outlines of the New Testament’s witness to Mary.
    2. To appreciate how the Old Testament forms the essential background for what the New Testament teaches about Mary.
    3. To understand “typology” and its importance for reading the New Testament texts concerning Mary.

    Begin Lesson One

  • Lesson Two: Wedding at Cana, Garden in Eden
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To appreciate the Old Testament symbolism that forms the deep background to the Gospel account of the wedding feast at Cana.
    2. To understand how Mary is depicted as a “New Eve” in this account.
    3. To appreciate the importance of the Old Testament marriage symbolism for John’s recounting of the “sign” at Cana.

    Begin Lesson Two

  • Lesson Three: The Ark of the New Covenant
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To see how Mary’s visit to Elizabeth parallels David’s bringing of the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem.
    2. To understand how the book of Revelation uses the startling image of the rediscovered Ark of the Covenant to introduce a vision of the Mother of Christ.
    3. To understand why the New Testament writers see Mary as the Ark of the New Covenant.

    Begin Lesson Three

  • Lesson Four: Mother Crowned in Glory
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To see the importance of the Queen Mother in the Davidic kingdom of the Old Testament.
    2. To understand the duties and privileges that came with the position of Queen Mother.
    3. To see how Mary fills the position of Queen Mother in the kingdom of Christ.

    Begin Lesson Four

  • Lesson Six: The Queen Assumed into Heaven
    • Lesson Objectives
    1. To understand the biblical foundations of the Dogma of the Assumption.
    2. To understand the deep Old Testament symbolism and imagery in Revelation 12, and its relation to Catholic beliefs about Mary.
    3. To appreciate how the biblical portrait of Mary is reflected and interpreted in the Church’s liturgy.

    Begin Lesson Six