Is it official Catholic tradition that our Blessed Mother did not experience birth pains when giving birth to Christ our Savior? The Church Fathers explicitly teach that she did not experience pain in giving birth to the Son of God. They cite Isaiah 66:7 for proof:
“Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.”
Quoting St. Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas also teaches that Mary suffered no pain in giving birth to Christ saying:
On the contrary, Augustine says (Serm. de Nativ. {Supposititious}), addressing himself to the Virgin-Mother: “In conceiving thou wast all pure, in giving birth thou wast without pain.”
I answer that, The pains of childbirth are caused by the infant opening the passage from the womb. Now it has been said above (28, 2, Replies to objections), that Christ came forth from the closed womb of His Mother, and, consequently, without opening the passage. Consequently there was no pain in that birth, as neither was there any corruption; on the contrary, there was much joy therein for that God-Man “was born into the world,” according to Is. 35:1,2: “Like the lily, it shall bud forth and blossom, and shall rejoice with joy and praise.” (Summa theologiae III. 35. 6)
Your thoughts?
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