Praying to MaryMary has been celebrated by all nations throughout the ages, in every way imaginable. She is present in the liturgy of all traditional Churches, in the spirituality of saints and religious, in the devotion of crowds.
Continue reading and you will discover that, since the beginnings of the Church, all nations and saints have glorified her more than any other human being, in a diverse variety of prayers and expressions of their filial piety, just as she foretold:
"...all generations will call me blessed"
Mary in the Liturgy
The Virgin Mary was chosen by God from the beginning of time as the Singular Vessel of Devotion to enable the mystery of the Incarnation and the world's redemption be achieved in His Son Jesus Christ. She was there at the foot of the Cross, faced with the outward failure of her Son's death, and she never lost her faith. She is the one who strengthened the Apostles during their time of grief preceding the Resurrection. Mary is also the one who surrounded, protected and assisted the birth of the early Church from its very beginnings after Christ's Ascension.
Virgin Mary is constantly present each time the liturgy is celebrated. First of all because as a human being just like us, she worships God as the one and true God. Secondly because she has a particular and unique place in the achievement of the two major mysteries regarding mankind's salvation (the Incarnation and the Redemption), hence in the liturgy celebrating those mysteriesof the Faith. Moreover, the Mother of the Word of God takes up a special place in the Eucharistic liturgy, just as St. Augustine reminds us, "Jesus' flesh is Mary's flesh" …
"Mary is not the God of the Temple, she is the temple of God"
Nevertheless, however special the place taken up by the Holy Virgin within the liturgy of the Church, she is not the core of it - the worship of adoration (latria) should be rendered to God alone: God alone is the first and foremost aim of the liturgy of the Church. As for Mary, she receives from all those who pray to her a worship of veneration (dulia – and even hyperdulia in so far as Mary alone is greater than all the saints and angels put together). But of course - "Mary is not the God of the Temple, she is the temple of God"…
However, since the very beginning of the Church, and all over the world, the liturgy has been celebrating and honoring the Mother of God, the one who sung in her Magnificat: "... from now onwards all generations will call me blessed"...
A place of honor in the liturgy
Mary features high in all the liturgies of the world (Eucharistic liturgy, Sacramental liturgy, Divine Office). This can be noticed especially in the rites of the Oriental Church, for instance where the Virgin Mary is central in the celebration of Orthodox offices, being honored as Theotokos (Mother of God) all the liturgical year round.
In the universal Church, the liturgical year is marked with four great Marian feasts: the Immaculate Conception, the Annunciation, Mary Mother of God, the Assumption, as well as with many lesser feast days (at least sixteen); not to mention votive masses in the honor of the Virgin Mary. This shows just how important and venerated the Virgin Mary is in the Eastern as well as the Western liturgy of the Church, whatever the culture, and "from generation to generation"...
Mary and Spirituality
It is striking to note that Mary has been universally recognized as the "Mother of Jesus", and her unique maternal tenderness, spiritual beauty, purity and delicacy attract huge crowds of men, women and children to her, whatever their culture may be! For instance, one can often meet Muslims or Buddhists who honor Mary and some who even pray to the Virgin of Nazareth!
Although Protestant communities rarely accept to pray to Jesus Christ through the intermediary of His Mother, the Catholic and Orthodox Churches have a very different outlook. There, the Blessed Virgin occupies an irreplaceable position in the spiritual life - both personal and communitary - of the faithful. She also has an irreplaceable position in the liturgy: she is the Mother, "Mother of the Redeemer", "Mother of God", Mother of the Church" and "Mother of the human race"...
Just imagine the incredible number of Christian institutions, orders and other religious congregations both for men and women, throughout the ages and spread over the entire globe which have chosen the Virgin Mary as their model and patron saint. There is a multitude!
The Blessed Virgin is the maternal side of the Church How can we wonder why when we can see that a Marian dimension goes all along through the entire life of a Christian?
In the first place, Mary is the Mother of the Redeemer and the Mother of the human race. She maternally accompanies us when we meet her Son and her prayers, interceding on our behalf, have been considered since the beginning of time to be the most powerful way of touching God's heart.
Mary is also the "smoothest" way to her Son, as the great mystics and Church Fathers have always claimed...
Concerning the main mysteries of the faith; Christians believe to such an extent that Jesus Christ is the sole Redeemer with the exceptional participation of the Blessed Virgin, in His Incarnation and His Redemption of the world, that both the Magisterium of the Church and the humble prayers of the faithful cannot bear to separate the two...
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