Commenting on Origen's Mariology, particularly his view that she was not sinless, let alone immaculately conceived, the Roman Catholic Mariologist, Fr. Luigi Gambero wrote the following:
According to Origen's dynamic concept of Christian perfection, understood as a journey or continual progress toward higher forms of the spiritual life, Mary could not have been totally holy from the beginning of his journey. For this reason, he readily admits the presence of some imperfections or defects in her. For example, he asserts that the sword foretold by Simeon was none other than the doubt and scandal that arose in her during her Son's Passion:
What ought we to think? That while the apostles were scandalized, the Mother of the Lord was immune from scandal? If she had not experienced scandal during the Lord's Passion, Jesus did not die for her sins. But if "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" and if all "are justified and saved by his grace" (Rom 3:23), then Mary, too, was scandalized in that moment. That is what Simeon is prophesying about: . . . Your soul will be pierced by the sword of unbelief and will be wounded by the sword point of doubt. (Homily on Luke 17, 6-7; PG 13, 13, 1843; SC 87, 256-58)
From this text also emerges the intention to support such a conclusion by restoring to a dogmatic reason: the universal value of the redemption accomplished by Christ.
But usually, Origen, faithful to the more ancient Alexandrian tradition, tends to emphasize the Virgin's holiness and virtues, always in the context of her condition as one still making progress. (Luigi Gambero, Mary and the Fathers of the Church: The Blessed Virgin Mary in Patristic Thought [trans. Thomas Buffer; San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1999], 77-78)
I have added the following to my response to Tim Staples on the Immaculate Conception:
