Marriage and Virginity

Q: Does Mary's virginal marriage and conception diminish the spiritual value of ordinary married love?

A: Married love should not be called ordinary. After all, it was ordained by God at very start of human history. Mary was called to life-long virginity because of her special role in salvation history, being mother of the divine Son of God. In general, virginity is not perfection. Rather it is a sign of imperfection, of our need to cling to God in order to find fulfillment in Him. It is like a sore thumb pointing out that there is perfection only in God. In the case of Mary, virginity means that God is now and remains forever the initiator and creator of His bond with humanity, a free gift of His love materializing in Jesus Christ. Virginity without active participation in God's creative act, however this materializes in the life of an individual believer, remains sterile. Virginity expresses constant readiness to be creative according to God's will for us. Virginity in and for itself is inhuman and god-less, the ultimate sign of sterility. As expression of our dedication/consecration to God, virginity is anticipation of life eternal, a reminder that our earthly experience is not an end in itself.