As the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary has a unique position among the saints, indeed, among all creatures. She is exalted, yet still one of us. Mary embraces God’s will and freely chooses to cooperate with God’s grace, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in God’s plan of salvation. Pope Paul VI wrote succinctly: “Mary is held up as an example to the faithful for the way in which in her own particular life she fully and responsibly accepted the word of God and did it…. She is worthy of imitation because she was the first and most perfect of Christ’s disciples.”
28 The angel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with thee.” 29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and wondered in her heart what this salutation could mean.
30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:28-34)
Who is Mary? | Mary, Explained (7:26)
Do Catholics Worship Mary?
The simple answer is no, Catholics do not worship Mary. We pray to Mary, but not in the same way we pray to God—and not to worship her as a god.
People often have a hard time understanding why Catholics make such a big deal about Mary. They sometimes think that in Catholicism, Mary is placed on the same level as Jesus. But that is not the case, at all! Yes, it’s true that Mary is given a great deal of honor in Catholicism, but, believe it or not, everything we say and do in relation to the Blessed Virgin Mary has far more to do with Jesus than it does Mary. Our veneration of Mary (which is NOT the same as adoration or worship, which belongs to God alone) doesn’t take attention away from Jesus, because everything that is honorable and praiseworthy in Mary is the result of Jesus’ saving power and God’s gracious gifts. When we honor Mary, we are just honoring the work of God in her. And this, by the way, is true of all the veneration we give to the saints. In celebrating their lives of holiness, we are really just celebrating the God who has done such wonderful things in them.
Yes, Catholics think Mary is special, but it’s because we believe that God has achieved something special in and through her. She is the mother of our Lord, the one who first said “yes” to the announcement of the Gospel. Mary is “most blessed among women” because she is so uniquely blessed by God. But our attention to Mary is never just about her. When we look to Mary, what we should see is the saving power of her Son. When we seek to imitate Mary, what we are imitating is her fidelity and commitment to Jesus. And when we pray to Mary, what we are seeking is the help and support to love Jesus more faithfully and trust in God more fully. St. Maximilian Kolbe said, “Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin Mary too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did, and if anyone does not wish to have Mary Immaculate for his mother, he will not have Christ for his brother.” Loving Mary and imitating her life will lead us closer to her son, Jesus Christ.
“Christ himself willed to be physically formed in Mary for nine months and then be spiritually formed by her for 30 years. It is to Mary that we must go to learn how to have Christ formed in us. Only she who raised Christ can raise a Christian.” ― Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
Why Should We Pray to Mary?
Because Jesus has given us his Blessed Mother as our great spiritual mother (Rev.12:17), a heavenly advocate who intercedes for us.
Some Christians will ask, “Why pray to Mary when we can go directly to Jesus?” And yet they have no problem asking others here on earth to pray for them, instead of simply and solely praying to Jesus on their own. Indeed, St. Paul says that God grants blessings “in answer to many prayers” (2 Cor. 1:11). And if the prayer of a righteous man on earth avails much with God (Jas. 5:16–18), how much more would prayers from one who has finished the race and now reigns with Christ in heaven?
The Gospel reveals to us how Mary prays and intercedes in faith. At Cana, the mother of Jesus asks her son for the needs of a wedding feast; this is the sign of another feast – that of the wedding of the Lamb where he gives his body and blood at the request of the Church, his Bride. It is at the hour of the New Covenant, at the foot of the cross, that Mary is heard as the Woman, the new Eve, the true “Mother of all the living.” (CCC, No. 2618).
Praying to Mary | Mary, Explained (811:23)
Behold Your Mother: How Jesus Honored Mary at the Cross
Mary stands at the foot of the Cross with the beloved disciple, John witnessing it all. She hears Jesus say, “Woman, behold your son.” And to the beloved disciple he says, “Son, behold your mother.” Jesus’ words go beyond simply providing for his mother’s welfare; he is establishing a new relationship in which Mary becomes the mother of us all. As Woman, Jesus bequests her with universal motherhood. The beloved disciple left unnamed stands for all humanity to take Mary as our Mother. Archbishop Fulton Sheen describes it this way, “As a son, he thought of his mother; as a Savior, he thought of us. So he gave us his mother: ‘Behold thy mother.’ Jesus gave us his Mother for all time to nurture, protect, teach, and guide us in the ways of Christ.”
26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Son, behold your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. (John 19:26-27)
Model Disciple | Mary, Explained (8:14)
How Mary Crushes the Head of Satan
The Devil’s successful temptation of Adam and Eve into Original Sin brought suffering and death into the world. After describing the ensuing afflictions, God promises a Redeemer: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Gen. 3:15). The Woman kills the serpent through her seed.
In Luke’s Gospel, there is a significant reinforcement of Mary’s exalted role as the maternal “Defender Against Demons.” During her visit with Elizabeth her cousin, Mary responds with a spontaneous prayer rooted in her familiarity with Scriptures. Mary’s Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55) not only anticipates the Devil’s temptations of Jesus thirty years later but prophesies victory over evil in “every generation.” In her Magnificat, Mary acknowledges that she is the blessed handmaiden for all generations to come, the “New Eve.”
Hence, Mary’s prayer with the child Jesus in her womb prophesies the fulfillment of the promise God made in Genesis 3:15.
The Magnificat
46 The Canticle of Mary.And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
48 For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed.
49 The Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is shown from age to age
to those who fear him.
51 He has shown the strength of his arm,
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
52 He has cast down the mighty from their thrones
and has lifted up the lowly.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 He has come to the help of his servant Israel,
for he remembered his promise of mercy,
55 the promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” (Luke 1:46-55)
The Major Feasts of Our Lady are:
- Jan. 1 (Mary, Mother of God)
- March 25 (Annunciation)
- May 31 (Visitation)
- Aug. 15 (Assumption)
- Aug. 22 (Queenship of Mary)
- Sept. 8 (Nativity of Mary)
- Sept. 15 (Our Lady of Sorrows)
- Oct. 7 (Our Lady of the Rosary)
- Nov. 21 (Presentation of Mary)
- Dec. 8 (Immaculate Conception)
The Four Marian Dogmas:
- Divine Motherhood – Mary as the Mother of God.
- Immaculate Conception – Mary was conceived without original sin.
- Perpetual Virginity – Mary remained a virgin throughout her life.
- The Assumption – Mary was taken bodily into heaven.
Mary: Mother of God (4:50)
Mary: Immaculate Conception (3:29)
Mary: Perpetual Virginity (4:40)
Mary: The Assumption (4:53)
“To succeed in your intentions, entrust yourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary always, but especially in moments of difficulty and darkness. ‘From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in things. From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone. From Mary we learn to love Christ, her Son and the Son of God…Learn from her to be always faithful, to trust that God’s Word to you will be fulfilled, and that nothing is impossible with God.'” ― Saint John Paul II
Let us ask our Mother to, “Make our hearts a suitable place to adore Jesus.”
Prayer to the Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Most Blessed Mother, heart of love, heart of mercy, ever listening, caring, consoling, hear our prayer. As your children, we implore your intercession with Jesus your Son. Receive with understanding and compassion the petitions we place before you today, especially (state your petitions). We are comforted in knowing your heart is ever open to those who ask for your prayer. We trust to your gentle care and intercession, those whom we love and who are sick or lonely or hurting. Help all of us, Holy Mother, to bear our burdens in this life until we may share eternal life and peace with God forever. Amen.
Mary: God’s Dream Come True – Fulton Sheen Timeless Wisdom (3:29)
