However, this does not mean that to Mary was added all possible supernatural prerogatives or privileges such that she did not lead a truly human life. She still got hungry, suffered, grew in wisdom and knowledge, and died. Unlike her Son, Mary advanced in grace and virtue throughout her life – just as other saints have done. The life of holiness to which we all are called is just that a life – and Mary, like us all, only attained the culmination of this holiness at her death.
Up to this point, we have been looking at the unique dignity of Mary as the Mother of God and the plenitude of grace with which she was endowed by God. From these two fundamental principles, a number of extraordinary and unique prerogatives (privileges) can be reasonably deduced.
These prerogatives can be placed into two distinct categories or classes. Mary’s negative prerogatives consist in the removal or absence of all defects and blemishes that would be incompatible with divine motherhood. Positive prerogatives are special privileges which God conferred on Mary with a view to adorn and exalt her in a manner befitting the mother of His Son – befitting the Mother of God.
In preparing Mary to be the Mother of His Son, God removed or exempted her from any and all defects or blemishes that would make her unsuitable to hold the Divine Child in her womb and to be a fit mother to Him. The Church teaches that there were four such negative prerogatives:
1. Exemption from original sin.
2. Immunity from personal sin.
3. Perpetual Virginity
4. Exemption from the dominion of death
All four prerogatives were gifts to Mary through the merits of her Son, Jesus Christ. The merits and salvific action of Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection were applied to Mary through the mercy and grace of God.
We will discuss each one separately.
