"The girl was beautifully formed and lovely to behold....The king loved Esther more than all other women, and of all the virgins she won his favor and benevolence. So he placed the royal diadem on her head and made her queen in place of Vashti." (Es. 2:7,17)
"I do not, in fact, recall having read in any other place in the Sacred Scriptures these words: Rejoice, kecharitomene. Neither of these expressions is ever addressed to a man: such a special greeting was reserved only for Mary." (Origen, 4th Century)
In the last post we began to examine the first scene of the Annunciation, in particular the first two words of the Angelic Salutation. Most importantly, we focused on the second word of the Archangel's greeting, and it's implications for the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, and the general sinlessness of Mary.
First, that it is used by St. Gabriel in place of Mary's name. Thus kecharotimene is used as Mary's name, or official title.
Secondly, that it is a unique title. The word itself is only used once before in Scripture or Greek secular literature, and never as a personal title. Thus the Blessed Virgin's title of kecharotimene is unique and remarkable.
Thirdly, that the angel conveys God's own message. Thus, kecharotimene is God's own title for Mary.
Fourthly, that these considerations, coupled with the literal meaning of the Greek word kecharotimene inform us that the Blessed Virgin was fully graced; filled with grace completely, as water fills a bucket; that this action of filling the Virgin with grace was due to God's gratuitous action; that the action was completed in the past; that the Virgin's state continues to the present; and that, by virtue of the title, or name, by which God called her, we may conclude that the state will continue throughout the future.
In the last post we considered these reflections to bear evidence of the Catholic Church's position concerning the Immaculate nature of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Before proceeding any further with our examination of Sacred Scripture, I would like to consider several possible objections. Some of these are actually quite standard objections commonly used by Protestant apologists.We shall consider them one by one.
1. The first, and perhaps most common objection given by Protestant apologists, is simply that kecharotimene is not unique. It is, according to these apologists, actually used several other places in the New Testament in such a way as to indicate no uniqueness concerning the Blessed Virgin. Particularly, Eph. 1:6 is pointed to as a use of kecharotimene to refer to all the faithful. This is simply a grammatical issue. The word used in Eph. 1:6 does indeed use the same root word, charis, as kecharitomene, but it is a different form of that word, and in a different tense. In Ephesians the word is echaritosen, and roughly means "he (God) has granted grace." It does not offer the same sense of completeness as kecharitomene. Yes, the root here and in other places may be the same, but the actual grammatical form of the word is different in each case; thus the uniqueness of St. Luke's use of the word is not affected by such arguments at all. It is also important to note that these other uses of similar words in the New Testament are not titular. Kecharitomene was used by Gabriel as a direct title or name for Mary, and under such usage the word has never appeared elsewhere.
2. The second common objection is that two other persons in the New Testament are referred to as being "full of grace." They are, Jesus (no surprise there), and St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr. Here we merely have an issue with translation. The Greek words used of Jesus and Stephen are different than the one used of Mary, but due to the limitations of the English language we have traditionally translated all of them into the same expression: "full of grace." This is unfortunate, as it causes some confusion. As I noted in the last post, "full of grace" is not a perfect translation of kecharitomene, since it does not tell us enough about the aspect of time contained in that particular Greek word. However, "full of grace" is an excellent translation when used of Jesus and Stephen, for that is literally what the Greek means in those two passages (Jn. 1:14, and Acts 6:8). The Greek phrase used in these places is pleres charitos, and it does, in fact, mean "full of grace." The question then is, why did the Evangelists not use kecharitomene to describe Jesus and the holy deacon? The reasons are fairly simple. Kecharotimene, as you will recall, is in the passive voice. It indicates to use that Mary received grace, not because of her own works, but purely because of the gratuitous action of Almighty God. Jesus is full of grace by virtue of being the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity. To use kecharitomene of Christ would have been demeaning. In the case of Stephen we find that Stephen is "full of grace", but nothing is said concerning how long he has been in that state. Again, you will remember that kecharitomene indicates to us that the state of having been graced was completed in the past, continues to the present, and indicates permanence. Pleres charitos simply speaks for the present moment. I, as a Catholic, have no problem in believing that St. Stephen was at some point in his life full of grace, and free from sin. However, no evidence is given here that this was his title, a description of who he was, nor is a guarantee of permanency associated with this state, nor are we informed that he had been full of grace in the past. As one Catholic apologist, Dr. Robert Sungenos has written, "The reason Luke didn't choose PLERES CHARITOS for Mary is that the phrase cannot, in itself, distinguish time, agent or continuity, whereas KEKERTIOMENE can."
3. A third question which comes to mind is whether "full of grace" automatically denotes sinlessness. Let us see what Sacred Scripture has to say:
"For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace." (Rom.6:14)
"But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life with Christ (by grace you have been saved)...." (Eph.2:4-5)
"He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before time began...." (II Tim. 1:9)
"For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age...." (Tit. 2:11)
"For there have been some intruders, who long ago were designated for this condemnation, godless persons, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and who deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." (Jude 4)
These passages and other considerations lead us to the conclusion that grace is the antithesis of sin. Therefore, a person who is completely filled with grace would have no room left in them for the presence of sin.
4. Perhaps the most difficult objection concerns the question of whether the "time past" aspect of the word kecharitomene goes back all the way to the beginning of Mary's existence. In other words, while it may imply sinlessness in some past time in Mary's life, does it really imply the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception? I think that the following two quotes accurately sum up the correct answer:
"The...question is still more difficult: Did the grace granted to Mary exist in plenitude from the first instant, from the moment of her conception? This problem never entered the mind of Saint Luke because the question was not raised for many centuries. All that we can say in regard to the term kekharitomene, is that the perfection of fullness which it suggests was truly complete if it was in her soul from the beginning. Nothing demands this sense of fullness absolutely, but it is a logical extension of the strict meaning....Consequently we may say that the word, kekharitomene, offers a firm basis for the theological acceptance of the privilege of the Immaculate Conception; but this position goes far beyond the conclusions of exegesis." Jean Galot, S.J. "Mary in the Gospel"
" Being a perfect, passive, participle that is applied on a titular basis, KEKERITOMENE denotes that: (a) the state of grace began in past time, (b) it is a completed and accomplished action, (c) its results continue into the present, (d) that the verbal title is received by Mary from an outside agent. Although these four grammatical characteristics do not prove the Immaculate Conception, KEKARITOMENE is the best Greek word that could have been chosen to coincide with it. Any other Greek word would have been inadequate or even faulty." Dr. Robert Sungenos
What are we to make of this information? On the one hand, both of these Catholic scholars agree that kecharitomene cannot be used to absolutely prove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is a possible interpretation, but not a definite one. On the other hand, we learn two important things from these writers: first, that St. Luke picked the best Greek word for the Virgin's title that allows for the doctrine; and secondly, that the doctrine is a "logical extension of the strict meaning" of kecharitomene. It is upon this second point that I wish to dwell for a few moments.
We may understand Fr. Galot's statement by considering the idea of fullness in two ways, spatial (in a spiritual sense) and relation to time, or duration.
In the first way, spiritually spatial fullness, we can envision a person filled "to the brim" (so to speak) with grace. Thus, every space inside of that person is entirely filled with grace. We have already used the analogy of a bucket filled entirely with water. In this was we could refer to an object, such as a bucket, as filled from "top to bottom".
In the second way, we can think of the fullness of grace as a fullness of duration, i.e., "start to finish." Thus we may see the plenitude of the grace which Mary had been given as a plenitude "in the moment", and also as a plenitude of duration, completely filled with grace throughout her life.
The strict definition of kecharitomene allows for both ideas-- fullness within the moment, and fullness throughout one's past. In this connection, we remember that this particular Greek word does indicate that the "gracing" of Mary was completed in the past.
Thus we see that we have two possible interpretations to the word kecharotimene in regards to how long the Blessed Virgin had been in that state, with neither interpretation opposed to, or excluding, the other. Therefore, we may agree with the two authors quoted above, that kecharotimene does not automatically prove that Mary was conceived without sin, but that the word allows for the possibility, it is the perfect word in Greek to allow for that possibility, and that that possibility is a "logical extension of [its] strict meaning."
If the possibility is there, then we are left merely with a matter of interpretation. How do we choose which interpretation is the one to which we shall adhere? With prayer and meditation, of course, but I think that there is more information concerning the Blessed Virgin which, when considered, will eventually tip the scales in favor of the second. We will see this theme return throughout this series of posts, but I would like to close this particular post with a brief consideration of only three particular points.
It is possible that at this point we may have become too caught up in examining the word kecharitomene, perhaps we have become bogged down in nuances, perhaps the dissecting of the word has destroyed its remarkableness. So if we can step away from all this for a moment, and simply remember that the word kecharitomene, used as the name or title of the Virgin of Nazareth, indicates that she had been filled by God with a plenitude of grace, past present and future; it will very likely seem logical, almost obvious even, that such a fullness is truly full if it pertains to all of the past, present, and future.
We may also return to the first Christian martyr whom we briefly mentioned above-- the glorious St. Stephen, who is also referred to as being "full of grace". We remember that the Greek words used to describe the holy deacon do not have the same element of time or duration as does kecharitomene. It indicates merely that he was full of grace at the moment of his ordination, or more precisely, a moment before. It would be highly unlikely to assume that he became full of grace the second the apostle decided to appoint him to his position. Thus, if we consider the scene carefully, we will recognize that Stephen was not only full of grace at that particular moment, but had also been for some little time past. It is also easy to assume that he remained in that state, as it was a very short period that intervened between his ordination and his martyrdom.
We can imagine, then, that if the fullness of grace indicated by the word kecharitomene only indicated a period of time beginning in the recent past, that the word (or a similar form) would have been used of St. Stephen. Yet Luke, the Evangelist, who was the same author of both passages, and a clear master of the Greek language, does not use kecharitomene, but rather pleres charis. Thus, logically, it would seem that if both Mary and Stephen had been graced at some previous point in their lives, yet kecharitomene is applied only to the Virgin,that the uniqueness of Mary's title would indicate that the fullness of grace which she had received was also a fullness of duration, extending to the first moment of her existence.
A second, and similar consideration involves the great Precursor of Christ, St. John the Baptist. His conception, like the conception of Jesus, was announced by the same angel, St. Gabriel. The Baptist received the gift of sanctifying grace no later than the moment of his birth, for the archangel prophesies that "he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb." ( Lk. 1:15b) Most likely this event took place prior to his birth, if we draw the angel's statement together with Lk. 1:41, in which we find the six month nascent prophet leaping for joy in Elizabeth's womb as Mary greets his mother. Yet the Evangelist again records no such unique and remarkable title to John the Baptist as the title kecharitomene with which Gabriel addresses the Blessed Virgin Mary. If John was sanctified before his birth, would not the uniqueness of Mary's gracing indicate that she was graced from the moment of her conception?
The issue here, to state it simply, is a matter of difference and degree. If Mary had received this plenitude of grace a few months earlier than John, or some years earlier than Stephen, then we are dealing merely with a matter of degree. She would simply have been graced a little longer than the other two. Yet, if she were kept free from original sin, as they were not, her uniqueness would be a matter of difference, and not merely degree. To my mind this is a strong consideration, but there is much more to be said on this topic in later posts.
Thus, while the word kecharitomene may not absolutely prove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, it seems that the strength of the word, couple with comparisons to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen Martyr, offers a strong indication of the doctrine. Yet, I believe that we must take all the Scriptural passages into account, and more evidence and suggestions of this idea will be added as we go along.
I hope that the reader will forgive me for having gone to such lengths in discussing the first two words of the Angelic Salutation, though we are far from having plumbed their depths. Yet it seems to me to be an ideal place to start, as this is the clearest passage which we have in Sacred Scripture which gives to us the title, or name, of Mary that God Himself applied to her. What better place to begin our considerations?
I have striven throughout to be accurate and to avoid hyperbole; yet, in reality, the wonder of this angelic greeting should scarcely be understated. It is more than remarkable; it is nothing short of amazing, filled with theological and spiritual insights.
In closing let us briefly summarize what we have so far learned from the opening of the Angelic Salutation.
1. We have learned that this greeting indicates the beginning of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies, which call upon the people of God to rejoice. All the longings of the prophets are about to be fulfilled in time, and the beginning of their fulfillment is found in the humble Virgin of Nazareth's worshipful "Fiat" to her Creator.
2. The greeting of chairo draws our attention to the Messianic prophecies addressed towards Zion and Jerusalem, and we understand( at first dimly, but ever more clearly as we go along) that the Blessed Virgin is, in some way the archetype or embodiment of Zion, and the prototype and embodiment of the Church.
3. We have learned that the name Mary is the equivalent of the Hebrew name Miriam, a name applied in the Old Testament only to the sister of Moses and Aaron. We saw that Miriam was deeply involved in the story of the Israelite's redemption and freedom from slavery, to such an extant that Scripture tells us that she was one of the three who actually led the people of God out of slavery.
4. We discovered the astounding name, or title, which God Himself bestows upon Mary through the lips of His holy messenger, St. Gabriel. We learned that this name means that Mary was completely graced by God, to a point of total fullness, and that she existed in that state past, present, and future.
5. We saw that grace is the antithesis of sin, and that the fullness of grace which Mary received indicates that freedom from sin was granted to her by God, through the meritorious Passion of her Divine Son.
6. Through our study of this word, and through comparison with two other remarkable New Testament saints, we drew the logical conclusion that her title strongly indicates the likelihood that the grace which she received from her Maker was granted to her at the moment of her conception, so that she was full of grace from the beginning of her life to its end.
7. We learned that kecharitomene allows for this possibility, and actually was the best Greek title which St. Luke could have chosen to allow for the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
I wish to leave these reflections with the reader, to prayerfully ponder, and to consider the strong possibility that the sinlessness of Mary is not only not opposed to the teaching of Sacred Scripture, but is very much in keeping with its message. If the evidence offered in these first five posts does not seem conclusive, or overwhelming, there is an abundance of further evidence and considerations still to come.
For now, may the peace of God be with you all, and may we each strive to be a little more each day like Mary, whose said to her God, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word." (Lk. 1:38)
"The...question is still more difficult: Did the grace granted to Mary exist in plenitude from the first instant, from the moment of her conception? This problem never entered the mind of Saint Luke because the question was not raised for many centuries. All that we can say in regard to the term kekharitomene, is that the perfection of fullness which it suggests was truly complete if it was in her soul from the beginning. Nothing demands this sense of fullness absolutely, but it is a logical extension of the strict meaning....Consequently we may say that the word, kekharitomene, offers a firm basis for the theological acceptance of the privilege of the Immaculate Conception; but this position goes far beyond the conclusions of exegesis." Jean Galot, S.J. "Mary in the Gospel"
" Being a perfect, passive, participle that is applied on a titular basis, KEKERITOMENE denotes that: (a) the state of grace began in past time, (b) it is a completed and accomplished action, (c) its results continue into the present, (d) that the verbal title is received by Mary from an outside agent. Although these four grammatical characteristics do not prove the Immaculate Conception, KEKARITOMENE is the best Greek word that could have been chosen to coincide with it. Any other Greek word would have been inadequate or even faulty." Dr. Robert Sungenos
What are we to make of this information? On the one hand, both of these Catholic scholars agree that kecharitomene cannot be used to absolutely prove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. It is a possible interpretation, but not a definite one. On the other hand, we learn two important things from these writers: first, that St. Luke picked the best Greek word for the Virgin's title that allows for the doctrine; and secondly, that the doctrine is a "logical extension of the strict meaning" of kecharitomene. It is upon this second point that I wish to dwell for a few moments.
We may understand Fr. Galot's statement by considering the idea of fullness in two ways, spatial (in a spiritual sense) and relation to time, or duration.
In the first way, spiritually spatial fullness, we can envision a person filled "to the brim" (so to speak) with grace. Thus, every space inside of that person is entirely filled with grace. We have already used the analogy of a bucket filled entirely with water. In this was we could refer to an object, such as a bucket, as filled from "top to bottom".
In the second way, we can think of the fullness of grace as a fullness of duration, i.e., "start to finish." Thus we may see the plenitude of the grace which Mary had been given as a plenitude "in the moment", and also as a plenitude of duration, completely filled with grace throughout her life.
The strict definition of kecharitomene allows for both ideas-- fullness within the moment, and fullness throughout one's past. In this connection, we remember that this particular Greek word does indicate that the "gracing" of Mary was completed in the past.
Thus we see that we have two possible interpretations to the word kecharotimene in regards to how long the Blessed Virgin had been in that state, with neither interpretation opposed to, or excluding, the other. Therefore, we may agree with the two authors quoted above, that kecharotimene does not automatically prove that Mary was conceived without sin, but that the word allows for the possibility, it is the perfect word in Greek to allow for that possibility, and that that possibility is a "logical extension of [its] strict meaning."
If the possibility is there, then we are left merely with a matter of interpretation. How do we choose which interpretation is the one to which we shall adhere? With prayer and meditation, of course, but I think that there is more information concerning the Blessed Virgin which, when considered, will eventually tip the scales in favor of the second. We will see this theme return throughout this series of posts, but I would like to close this particular post with a brief consideration of only three particular points.
It is possible that at this point we may have become too caught up in examining the word kecharitomene, perhaps we have become bogged down in nuances, perhaps the dissecting of the word has destroyed its remarkableness. So if we can step away from all this for a moment, and simply remember that the word kecharitomene, used as the name or title of the Virgin of Nazareth, indicates that she had been filled by God with a plenitude of grace, past present and future; it will very likely seem logical, almost obvious even, that such a fullness is truly full if it pertains to all of the past, present, and future.
We may also return to the first Christian martyr whom we briefly mentioned above-- the glorious St. Stephen, who is also referred to as being "full of grace". We remember that the Greek words used to describe the holy deacon do not have the same element of time or duration as does kecharitomene. It indicates merely that he was full of grace at the moment of his ordination, or more precisely, a moment before. It would be highly unlikely to assume that he became full of grace the second the apostle decided to appoint him to his position. Thus, if we consider the scene carefully, we will recognize that Stephen was not only full of grace at that particular moment, but had also been for some little time past. It is also easy to assume that he remained in that state, as it was a very short period that intervened between his ordination and his martyrdom.
We can imagine, then, that if the fullness of grace indicated by the word kecharitomene only indicated a period of time beginning in the recent past, that the word (or a similar form) would have been used of St. Stephen. Yet Luke, the Evangelist, who was the same author of both passages, and a clear master of the Greek language, does not use kecharitomene, but rather pleres charis. Thus, logically, it would seem that if both Mary and Stephen had been graced at some previous point in their lives, yet kecharitomene is applied only to the Virgin,that the uniqueness of Mary's title would indicate that the fullness of grace which she had received was also a fullness of duration, extending to the first moment of her existence.
A second, and similar consideration involves the great Precursor of Christ, St. John the Baptist. His conception, like the conception of Jesus, was announced by the same angel, St. Gabriel. The Baptist received the gift of sanctifying grace no later than the moment of his birth, for the archangel prophesies that "he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb." ( Lk. 1:15b) Most likely this event took place prior to his birth, if we draw the angel's statement together with Lk. 1:41, in which we find the six month nascent prophet leaping for joy in Elizabeth's womb as Mary greets his mother. Yet the Evangelist again records no such unique and remarkable title to John the Baptist as the title kecharitomene with which Gabriel addresses the Blessed Virgin Mary. If John was sanctified before his birth, would not the uniqueness of Mary's gracing indicate that she was graced from the moment of her conception?
The issue here, to state it simply, is a matter of difference and degree. If Mary had received this plenitude of grace a few months earlier than John, or some years earlier than Stephen, then we are dealing merely with a matter of degree. She would simply have been graced a little longer than the other two. Yet, if she were kept free from original sin, as they were not, her uniqueness would be a matter of difference, and not merely degree. To my mind this is a strong consideration, but there is much more to be said on this topic in later posts.
Thus, while the word kecharitomene may not absolutely prove the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception, it seems that the strength of the word, couple with comparisons to St. John the Baptist and St. Stephen Martyr, offers a strong indication of the doctrine. Yet, I believe that we must take all the Scriptural passages into account, and more evidence and suggestions of this idea will be added as we go along.
I hope that the reader will forgive me for having gone to such lengths in discussing the first two words of the Angelic Salutation, though we are far from having plumbed their depths. Yet it seems to me to be an ideal place to start, as this is the clearest passage which we have in Sacred Scripture which gives to us the title, or name, of Mary that God Himself applied to her. What better place to begin our considerations?
I have striven throughout to be accurate and to avoid hyperbole; yet, in reality, the wonder of this angelic greeting should scarcely be understated. It is more than remarkable; it is nothing short of amazing, filled with theological and spiritual insights.
In closing let us briefly summarize what we have so far learned from the opening of the Angelic Salutation.
1. We have learned that this greeting indicates the beginning of the fulfillment of the Messianic prophecies, which call upon the people of God to rejoice. All the longings of the prophets are about to be fulfilled in time, and the beginning of their fulfillment is found in the humble Virgin of Nazareth's worshipful "Fiat" to her Creator.
2. The greeting of chairo draws our attention to the Messianic prophecies addressed towards Zion and Jerusalem, and we understand( at first dimly, but ever more clearly as we go along) that the Blessed Virgin is, in some way the archetype or embodiment of Zion, and the prototype and embodiment of the Church.
3. We have learned that the name Mary is the equivalent of the Hebrew name Miriam, a name applied in the Old Testament only to the sister of Moses and Aaron. We saw that Miriam was deeply involved in the story of the Israelite's redemption and freedom from slavery, to such an extant that Scripture tells us that she was one of the three who actually led the people of God out of slavery.
4. We discovered the astounding name, or title, which God Himself bestows upon Mary through the lips of His holy messenger, St. Gabriel. We learned that this name means that Mary was completely graced by God, to a point of total fullness, and that she existed in that state past, present, and future.
5. We saw that grace is the antithesis of sin, and that the fullness of grace which Mary received indicates that freedom from sin was granted to her by God, through the meritorious Passion of her Divine Son.
6. Through our study of this word, and through comparison with two other remarkable New Testament saints, we drew the logical conclusion that her title strongly indicates the likelihood that the grace which she received from her Maker was granted to her at the moment of her conception, so that she was full of grace from the beginning of her life to its end.
7. We learned that kecharitomene allows for this possibility, and actually was the best Greek title which St. Luke could have chosen to allow for the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
I wish to leave these reflections with the reader, to prayerfully ponder, and to consider the strong possibility that the sinlessness of Mary is not only not opposed to the teaching of Sacred Scripture, but is very much in keeping with its message. If the evidence offered in these first five posts does not seem conclusive, or overwhelming, there is an abundance of further evidence and considerations still to come.
For now, may the peace of God be with you all, and may we each strive to be a little more each day like Mary, whose said to her God, "Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it done unto me according to your word." (Lk. 1:38)
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