In-Depth Track – Just Teach Sheet
December Week 4 (2025)
Theme: Advent & Preparation
Focus: Mary, Freedom, and the Obedience of Faith
Audience: Catechists, apologists, serious adult learners
Weekly Goal
To examine Mary’s “yes” as a decisive moment in salvation history that reveals the Catholic understanding of freedom, grace, obedience, and God’s manner of acting in the world.
This week aims to correct sentimental or superficial views of Mary and present her as the supreme model of rational, free, and grace-filled faith.
Orientation: Why Mary Matters Theologically
The Annunciation is not devotional ornamentation but a hinge of history.
God’s eternal plan for the Incarnation is brought to fulfilment through the free consent of a human person.
Christian revelation insists on two truths held together:
God is sovereign and omnipotent
Human freedom is real and meaningful
Mary stands at the intersection of divine initiative and human response.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 488–489
Day 1 – The Obedience of Faith
Teaching
Scripture describes Mary’s response as the “obedience of faith.”
Romans 1:5
Catechism of the Catholic Church 144
This obedience is not irrational submission, but trust in the truthfulness of God.
Faith here is not assent to an abstract proposition but personal entrustment.
Mary believes not because she understands the outcome, but because she knows the One who speaks.
Theological Insight
Faith precedes full understanding; obedience precedes clarity.
This structure belongs to faith itself, not merely to Mary.
Reflection
Do I demand comprehension before obedience, or do I trust God’s character?
Day 2 – Freedom and Consent
Teaching
The angel announces God’s plan, but waits for Mary’s reply.
Luke 1:26–38
The narrative makes no sense unless Mary’s consent is free.
God does not bypass her will, override her fear, or compel agreement.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 494
Doctrinal Clarity
Catholic theology explicitly rejects any notion that Mary was coerced, predetermined, or psychologically compelled.
Grace does not negate freedom; it perfects it.
Reflection
If God forced obedience, could love exist at all?
Day 3 – Faith Seeking Understanding
Teaching
Mary asks: “How can this be?”
Luke 1:34
This question is not disbelief but discernment.
It exemplifies the classical Catholic principle: faith seeks understanding.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 158
Theological Balance
Zechariah doubts and is rebuked
Mary asks and is enlightened
The difference is not intelligence, but disposition of trust.
Reflection
Do I confuse honest questioning with resistance to faith?
Day 4 – Human Cooperation in Divine Action
Teaching
God chooses to act through human cooperation rather than independently of it.
Luke 1:41–45
Galatians 4:4
The Incarnation does not occur apart from Mary, but through her.
Dogmatic Insight
This establishes a permanent pattern:
God initiates
Man responds
Grace works through consent
This pattern continues in the sacraments, the Church, and moral life.
Catechism of the Catholic Church 2008
Reflection
Where might God be waiting for my cooperation rather than my passivity?
Day 5 – Mary as the Model Disciple
Teaching
Mary’s yes is spoken once but lived continually.
Luke 2:19
Luke 11:28
She does not understand everything immediately.
She perseveres in faith through silence, suffering, and hiddenness.
Spiritual Insight
Mary’s greatness lies not in privilege, but in perseverance.
She believes before seeing, obeys before understanding, and remains faithful without control.
Reflection
Is my faith episodic, or sustained?
Synthesis: Key Theological Truths
The Incarnation involves real human freedom
Grace and freedom are not opposed
Faith is personal trust, not blind assent
God chooses cooperation over coercion
Mary is the model of rational, obedient faith
Advanced Apologetic Clarifications
Was Mary merely a passive instrument?
No. Scripture and doctrine insist on her free and active consent.
Does obedience undermine autonomy?
No. Obedience to truth perfects freedom rather than destroying it.
Why does God “wait” for permission?
Because Christianity claims God seeks communion, not domination.
Is Marian theology optional?
No. It safeguards Christology, anthropology, and grace.
Does Mary replace Christ?
No. Her role exists entirely to bring Him into the world.
Catechism References
CCC 144 – The obedience of faith
CCC 488–494 – Mary’s consent and role
CCC 158 – Faith and reason
CCC 2001–2008 – Grace and human cooperation
CCC 2716 – Persevering faith
Recommended Reading
St Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Mary as New Eve)
St Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae III, q.30
Joseph Ratzinger, Daughter Zion
Pope St John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater
Romano Guardini, The Lord
Closing Prayer
Mary, Mother of the Incarnate Word,
you believed before you understood
and obeyed before you could see the end.
Teach me to trust God’s truth,
to use my freedom well,
and to cooperate with grace faithfully
as I prepare to welcome Christ.
Amen.
St. Mary's, St. John Bosco and St. Edward's 