What is the primary aim in honoring Mary?
Catechism Meditation:
“All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…. This very special devotion … differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary. ―No. 971
REFLECTION: By honoring Mary, Catholics fulfill Luke 1:48-49, “All generations will call me blessed.” When we honor her, we do as Jesus did when He followed the fourth commandment and honored His mother. If God is our Father and Jesus is our Brother, then only Mary could complete the family as our Mother. Therefore, we honor our Blessed Mother. We are devoted to her because, without her, we would not have had her Son as our Savior! She is the mother of our Lord and, as such, our mother.
Praying the Rosary is a way to honor Mary, our spiritual mother, and deepen our relationship with her Son, Jesus. At Fatima, Mary asked people to pray the Rosary every day. By answering Mary’s invitation to pray the Rosary, we follow her example and grow closer to Jesus through her intercession. Our devotion to and veneration of Mary, therefore, always points to Jesus.
Mary lived on earth with her gaze fixed on Jesus and the heavenly Father. Her greatest desire is to focus everyone’s attention in the same direction. When looking at the Virgin Mary statue outside of St. John’s church, you are reminded that Mary always draws attention away from herself and guides us to Jesus. As it says on the inscription, “Come, visit my Son.” Because the ultimate and primary aim in honoring and venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary is to worship, honor and adore her Son.
PRAYER. Lord Jesus, we come before You in gratitude for the sacrificial love of Mary, Your blessed mother. Help us to honor her example by living with compassion and humility, reflecting Your light in the world.
Timeless Wisdom Quote:
“The key to understanding Mary is this: we do not start with Mary. We start with Christ, the Son of the Living God! The less we think of Him, the less we think of her; the more we adore His Divinity, the more we venerate her Motherhood.” ― Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen