Mary, like all those whom we call ‘saints’ – those whom God has sanctified with his grace – does not glorify herself in her holiness, but points to the holiness of God in Christ. 

Mary’s fiat, her ‘yes’, made her the Mother of God, the one who brought Christ into the world.  She lived with him, nurtured him, walked with him in his ministry, wept for him at the foot of the Cross, received his bloodied body in her arms, and encountered him in his Resurrection life. 

Mary provides the model for all Christian life and for the Church, perfectly obedient to the will of her Son.  In the life of heaven, she enjoys a special place with the saints and ever lives in God, to offer prayers for those who seek her friendship.