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Contents:
WHAT IS A DOGMA?
A "dogma" can be explained as "a truth appertaining to faith or morals, revealed by God, transmitted from the Apostles in the Scriptures or by tradition, and proposed by the Church for the acceptance of the faithful" (Catholic Answers Encyclopedia).
WHY HAVE DOGMAS?
It is important to proclaim the truth. Jesus has asked us to.
In Matthew 16:15-17, Jesus asks Peter, "Who do you say I am?". Why did Jesus ask this? Why did He ask Peter publicly? If He truly knows Peter's heart, does He not know if Peter knows the truth about Him?
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Peter responds, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God". To which Jesus replies, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven."
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​Peter proclaims the truth, as prompted by Jesus, and is then blessed by Jesus, before being instituted as the head of Christ's Church.
THE MARIAN DOGMAS?
There are four proclaimed dogmas regarding Mary in the Catholic Church.
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1. Mother of God
2. Mary's Perpetual Virginity
3. The Immaculate Conception
4. The Assumption
SPIRITUAL MOTHER?
As we hear in the Gospel of St. John, one of Jesus' final words on the Cross is to John saying, "Behold your Mother", and to Mary "Behold your son".
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John is traditionally understood to represent all 'beloved disciples' of the Lord. Therefore, Jesus, as a final gift, bestows to us a Mother, a perfect, human Mother.
What does it mean for her to be our Mother? She suffers for us, nourishes us, and advocates for us, in a personal way.
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This is a teaching, a doctrine, of the Church, but not yet an officially proclaimed dogma. For years, the faithful have petitioned for this to be a fifth, a crowning and final Marian dogma, as evident in Marian doctrine.
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Please pray for this intention. As established, Jesus asks us to proclaim the truth, and great graces flow from that, and from the disposition in our hearts instilled by proclaiming truth.
