One of the often forgotten Catholic beliefs about Mary, the Mother of Jesus, is that she is “Perpetual Virgin” - virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus. Most non-Catholic Christians do not believe in the perpetual virginity of Mary. The obvious argument against the Perpetual Virginity of Mary is that there are a few references in the Gospels to the “brothers and sisters” of Jesus. Dr. Brant Pitre, in his book “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary” gives a thorough explanation of our belief that Mary is “Ever-Virgin”, so if you’re interested in a longer explanation, please read his book. For my part, I want to give a simple defense of our belief and to explain why it is important.
Why do some of the Gospels refer to the brothers and sisters of Jesus, if Mary didn’t have any other children? The Greek words used to describe brothers and sisters in the Gospels are adelphoi and adelphe. These can be translated both as “brother and sister” and “male cousin and female cousin”. Even today in English we see a common parallel in our use of the words brother and sister to refer to those who are not biological brothers and sisters. Certain ethnic groups commonly use “brother and sister” in this way. As Christians we often use “brother and sister” to refer to other Christians, since God is Our Father and we are brothers and sisters in Christ. This simple argument is defended by the fact that some of those referred to as “brothers” of Jesus are also said to be the sons of “the other Mary” (Mt. 27:55-56). For more information defending the perpetual virginity of Mary, please refer to Dr. Pitre’s book.
Why does the perpetual virginity of Mary matter? Dr. Pitre gives three reasons. The first is because it’s the truth, and the truth always matters. Reality is reality and we must conform our thoughts to reality, not our own opinions and preferences.
The second reason is that Mary’s virginity, like Jesus’ virginity, points forward to heaven. In heaven we are all married to God: “For when they will be resurrected from the dead, they shall neither marry, nor be given in marriage” (Mk. 12:25). This is not to say that marriage is bad. Marriage is a Sacrament that points ahead to the union we are meant to have with God in heaven. Mary was already living that union with God here on earth. As an aside, this is also the reason why priests don’t get married.
The final reason is that Mary is a symbol of the Church. This is also why I am writing on this topic on the Feast of the Presentation. Mary has no biological children, other than Jesus, so that she is clearly the spiritual mother of all Christians. Simeon says to Mary in today’s Gospel, “a sword will pass through your own soul” (Lk. 2:35). We believe that Mary was spared from labor pains when Jesus was born; however, she experienced those pains when Jesus was on the cross. Mary is the Church and the Church gives birth to new life by suffering with Jesus on the cross. The world wants to run from suffering, but Mary and Jesus show us the truth. Mary, with Jesus, is the most courageous person in the Bible because she most perfectly embraces the cross. By her union with Jesus on the cross, the Church was born, and Mary became the Mother of the Church.