Thanks for your respectful post.
In the Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma, Ludwig Ott says that the Fathers and Schoolmen misinterpreted the doctrine of Mary's Perpetual Virginity because of inadequate scientific knowledge.
To me the main issue, as always, is to glorify the Queen Mother as Christ glorifies her.
If what Ott says is true, then the historical basis for the dogma of Perpetual Virginity is eradicated. It would thus appear that the dogma did not actually appear in anything like its current form until the late Middle Ages at the earliest. This throws the whole dogma into question.
Concerning what Christ had to say about His mother, we do not have much to go on and what we have is perplexing. For example, in John 2 we have His comment to His mother at the wedding in Cana, as follows:
On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there; 2 and both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus *said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus *said to her,
“Woman, what does that have to do with us? My hour has not yet come.” 5 His mother *said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.” 6 Now there were six stone waterpots set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He *said to them, “Draw
some out now and take it to the headwaiter.” So they took it
to him. 9 When the headwaiter tasted the water which had become wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the headwaiter *called the bridegroom, 10 and *said to him, “Every man serves the good wine first, and when
the people have drunk freely,
then he serves the poorer
wine; but you have kept the good wine until now.” 11 This beginning of
His signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Then there is this from Luke 11 -
27 While Jesus was saying these things, one of the women in the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You and the breasts at which You nursed.” 28 But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”
And this from Mark 3 (see also Matthew 11) -
31 Then His mother and His brothers arrived, and standing outside they sent
word to Him and called Him. 32 A crowd was sitting around Him, and they said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are outside looking for You.” 33 Answering them, He said, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” 34 Looking about at those who were sitting around Him, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers! 35 For whoever does the will of God, he is My brother and sister and mother.”
In fact, the New Testament fails to begin to go to the extremes of veneration of Mary that the Catholic Church does, leaving one wondering why it is that the writers of the New Testament failed to do so.
