The National Catholic Bioethics Quarterly

Volume 19, Issue 3, Autumn 2019

Francis Etheredge
Pages 359-367

The First Instant of Mary’s Ensoulment

The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council recognized that the doctrine of the Incarnation is specifically concerned with the coming of Christ to free mankind from bondage to both original and personal sin. Original justice and original sin also can be examined through the dogma of the Immaculate Conception. By considering these concepts through the original moment of Mary’s conception, we gain a better understanding of the moment that each person is conceived. Thus a proper understanding of the Immaculate Conception will help us develop a better definition of human conception.