God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. He prepared her to be Jesus’ mother from the beginning of her life. Mary agreed to be the mother of Jesus. Her yes to God’s plan for her life began to undo Eve’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden. When He was dying on the Cross, Jesus gave His mother to John the Apostle and to all of us. She is the Mother of God, the mother of the Church, and our mother. We honor Mary and show our devotion to her because of her faith and because of her important role in our salvation. She was Jesus’ first disciple. We imitate her example of how to follow Jesus.

The Mother of God

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary and announced that by the power of the Holy Spirit she would conceive in her womb the Son of God and name Him Jesus. To this astounding news, Mary gave her fiat, or her yes, by saying, “I am the handmaiden of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Her perfect obedience to God began the undoing of Eve’s no to Him and led to our salvation. Mary raised her Son, Jesus, knowing that He was the Son of God, and in a special way shared in His joys and sorrows as only a mother could. Because she remained sinless throughout her life, at the end of her life, Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven, where she is crowned Queen of Heaven. She intercedes for us and hears our prayers, taking them to her Son, who sits at the right of God the Father and who will answer her requests.

Mother and Model of the Christian Life

On the Cross, Jesus gave His Mother to John the Apostle to care for. In doing so, not only did Jesus show His great love for His Mother, but He also gave her to all of us. Mary is the Mother of God, but also the mother of the Church and our mother too. Therefore, we honor Mary in such a way that no other human is honored. We pray for her intercession and for her motherly care over us, and we honor her commitment to God. Mary was also the first disciple of Jesus and is our model of discipleship. Her humble obedience to God is the perfect example of what it means to follow Him. There are many ways we honor Mary and show our devotion to her, from celebrating important moments of her life on the many Marian feast days throughout the liturgical year, to using sacramentals such as the Rosary and scapulars, to praying prayers such as the Hail Mary and the Hail Holy Queen. All of these help prepare our souls to receive the grace of God, whom Mary, in all she does, unceasingly magnifies.