Work of Mary: Loving Mary

Certainly, like any normal boy or girl, Jesus loved his mother as he grew up in Nazareth, his hometown for some thirty years. He was obedient to her and, of course, took care of her when he was old enough to do so. Jesus, as a pious Jew, obeyed the Commandment: “Honour your father and mother.”

We don’t have a lot of passages about Mary in the Gospel, but the few passages we read already tell us so many things about Mary. (In my future articles in this section, I will be writing more about this matter.) In any case, Mary was a significant person in the life of Jesus and in the life of the early Christians. Also from history and archaeology, we know that devotion to Mary has been consistent among Catholic and Orthodox Christians from the earliest times till our day.

As Jesus loved Mary his mother, we too should love her as our spiritual mother. Remember the scene at Calvary? According to the Gospel of John, when Jesus was hanging on the cross, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” To his beloved disciple also present there, he said, “Behold your mother.” From that hour on, according to the Gospel, the beloved disciple took Mary into his care. This Gospel scene then expresses the will of Jesus; that is, Jesus has entrusted us to his mother and that we take Mary in our life as our spiritual mother.

In what way can we love Mary our spiritual mother? Well, what makes a mother happy? A mother is happy when she sees her child healthy and happy too! For Mary, she’s happy when she sees us likened to her beloved Son Jesus! She wants us to be a “living Jesus!”

Loving Mary, out spiritual mother, then means allowing her to pray for us, teach us and mould us after her Son Jesus. Some people misunderstand our devotion to Mary. They think that we give her more attention than Jesus or that we even treat her like a goddess. On the contrary, a true devotion to Mary leads us to Jesus. Let’s be clear on this point: only Jesus saves! However, in God’s mysterious plan, you and I can be instruments of God. We help one another encounter Jesus. This is also precisely Mary’s role when God chose her to be the mother of the Son of God. She leads us to Jesus!

During this month of May, take the occasion to deepen your love for Mary. Tell her to help you become a “”living Jesus!” Start by praying often, if not every day, the “Hail Mary.” It’s a prayer inspired by the Gospel of Luke and the Tradition of the Church:


“Hail (Mary), full of grace. The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:28)
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb (Jesus).”  (Luke 1:42)
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen.