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How Could Mary Feel Sadness If She Had No Sin?

Question:

How did Mary feel pain and agony watching Jesus during the crucifixion if she was free from original sin?

Answer:

There is nothing in the theology of original sin that says human persons would have been incapable of emotions. The Gospels relate to us that Jesus experienced emotions:

  • Amazement (Matt. 8:10)
  • Sorrow (Matt. 26:38)
  • Feeling “troubled” (John 11:33-35)
  • Anger (Mark 3:5)

Original sin means that our emotions are not always ordered correctly.  We sometimes get angry for the wrong reasons or permit our anger to overcome our reason, but this does not mean there are never situations in which anger is a justified emotion. And, of course, without sin, we would have little reason to feel anger or sorrow, but that does not mean we’d be incapable of such reactions. As such, Mary experienced sorrow not due to her own sin (which she did not have) but because of the sins of others.

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