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3. Devotion to Mary Catholics have a deeply rooted devotion to Mary. Catholics do not worship Mary; we worship and give devotion only to God. Catholics praise and thank God for blessing Mary so profusely. We draw on her example and ask for her prayers and intercession. We ask Mary to intercede for us with God because of our trust in her and in her love for us. We believe her prayers for us will be effective with her Son, Jesus.

4. Mary’s ‘Yes’ Throughout her whole life Mary responded with the obedience of faith. Mary’s ‘Yes’, her free cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit, overturned the course of human history. Mary’s ‘Yes’ to becoming the Mother of the Incarnate Son of God marks the beginning of the coming about of the ‘new and everlasting Covenant’. What inspires you most about Mary? How do you express your devotion to Mary?

5. Mary, full of grace God chose Mary from all eternity for her extraordinary role in the divine plan of Salvation. God blessed Mary more than any other created person by choosing her to bear the One who ‘takes away the sins of the world’. God blessed Mary with the singular grace of being free from sin from the first moment of her conception in the womb of her mother, St. Anne. The Catholic Church names this singular grace the Immaculate Conception.

6. Titles for Mary The Catholic Church uses many titles to express her faith in and devotion to Mary. Theotokos: This title means ‘God Bearer’ or ‘Mother of God’. It is the most important title for Mary. Panagia: This means ‘All-Holy’. It points to how Mary remained free from sin her whole life long. Blessed Virgin: Mary was always a virgin. She remained a virgin in conceiving her Son, in giving birth to him and in nursing him at her breast. Mediatrix: This title refers to Mary’s role as intercessor and mediator between people and Christ. It flows from her motherhood; Mary is the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church.

7. Celebrating our faith in Mary The Catholic Church all over the world celebrates many feast days throughout the liturgical year to honor Mary. During these celebrations the Church gives thanks and praise to God for his wonderful gift of Mary. How does your parish celebrate Marian feasts?

8. The motherhood of Mary All of our devotion to Mary flows from her motherhood. Let’s look at some key moments from Mary’s life as the Mother of Jesus. Infancy and early years of Jesus: Mary gave birth to Jesus in the poorest of circumstances, fled from a murderous ruler and became a refugee in a strange country. In the Temple, a holy man named Simeon and a holy woman named Anna recognized Jesus to be the promised Messiah. Simeon alerted Mary that ‘a sword will pierce your own soul too’. These were daunting words for Mary to keep in her heart as she loved and cared for her Son, along with Joseph, in Nazareth.

9. The motherhood of Mary The hidden years of Jesus: Jesus would have learned the skill of carpentry from Joseph and taken part in the life of the local synagogue. According to ancient tradition, Joseph died during these years, leaving Mary as a single parent. The public life and last days of Jesus: Jesus’ public ministry began with his response to Mary’s request at the wedding at Cana. Little is written about Mary accompanying Jesus during the years of his public ministry, but Mary was a witness to his suffering, Death and Resurrection. The sword that Simeon had spoken of had surely pierced her heart. How does the motherhood of Mary inspire you to live as a disciple of her Son?

10. Mary’s last days on earth Sacred Tradition, reflecting the beliefs of the Apostolic Church, teaches that, at the end of Mary’s life on earth, God brought her whole person, body and soul, to Heaven, to share in the glory of her Son. In 1950 Pope Pius XII proclaimed this belief, which is called the Assumption, to be a dogma of faith revealed by God. Mary’s Assumption is a symbol of our hope that our bodies will be raised from the dead on the last day.

11. The Magnificat The Gospel account of the Visitation in Luke 1:39-56 tells of Mary travelling after the Annunciation to visit her elderly and pregnant relative Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, her unborn son (St. John the Baptist) ‘leaped in her womb’. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth exclaimed, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb’ (Luke 1:41). Mary responded, praising God, ‘My soul magnifies the Lord....’. Mary’s prayer of praise, found in Luke 1:46-55, is known as the Magnificat. The Church prays the Magnificat and praises God every day as part of Evening Prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. This prayer provides Christians with an inspiration, a vision and a model for living the Gospel.

12. Mary, first disciple and first evangelist Mary is the first disciple of her Son. She is our model of faith and discipleship. Mary was the first evangelist, ‘the first messenger of the Gospel’. She was the first to announce the Good News of Salvation. Mary is the handmaid of the Lord. She is a model of faith, hope and love for God.

13. Mary, Mother of our Church ‘When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27). The Church has interpreted these words of Jesus as his ‘handing over’ his mother to be the Mother of all disciples. Mary guides and supports us to continue the work of her Son, the work of the Church.

14. The story of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego Our Blessed Lady appeared to Juan Diego, a Nahuatl (Aztec) Indian convert to Christianity, on December 9, 1531, on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. After identifying herself as ‘Mary, the Mother of the True God’, ‘the Lady’ asked Juan to go and tell the Bishop of Mexico that she wanted a shrine to be built on the spot where she appeared. The bishop refused. Mary appeared to Juan Diego on two more occasions, each time with the same request. Then on December 12, ‘the Lady’ appeared to Juan Diego for the fourth time. She told him to go to a frosty summit and gather roses―a strange request in December. But he did what she asked and he returned with the roses.

15. The story of Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego ‘The Lady’ arranged the roses in Juan’s cloak and sent him again to the bishop. When Juan opened his cloak to show the roses to the bishop, they saw a beautiful image of ‘the Lady’. The bishop realized the truth of what had happened and soon after he began the building of the shrine on the top of Mount Tepayac. Juan Diego was canonized on July 31, 2002 by Blessed Pope John Paul II. The Pope also declared Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the Patron of the Americas.