Catechism of the Catholic Church and Section 971 says it is an essential part of Christian
worship to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary and say, what?! Of Christian worship? Really? Now,
it doesn't mean we worship Mary. Absolutely not. But it's an essential part of our worship. Why?
Well, there's many reasons. But for lack of time here, let me give you two essential reasons.
Number one is because of the Ten Commandments. Jesus made it very clear, if you want to get to
heaven, rich young man and Matthew 19:16, keep the commandments. Well, one of those commandments is
honor your father and mother on this earth. Well, because we are members of the Body of
Christ. What Scripture says we're brothers of Christ, right? Well, that makes Mary our mother.
But even more radical than that, we're members of His Body. Does anybody know a mom who just
gives birth to a head and not a body? The point is, of course, Mary is our mother,
just as God is our father, Jesus is our brother, and we're members of
His Body. And so we are bound by the Ten Commandments to honor our Blessed Mother.
And if you do not do so, you are breaking one of the Ten Commandments. Secondly,
in God's plan of salvation, he deigned a unique place for the Blessed Virgin Mary
in as much as he deigned for Jesus Christ to come into this world. Not part of him,
not 50% of him, the whole Jesus comes to the whole world through the Blessed Virgin Mary.
And we see that at the incarnation, of course,
famously in Luke chapter one verses 37 and 38, when the Blessed Mother says,
Let it be done unto me according to Thy word. The result was the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And you and I can be saved. But you know, Lumen Gentium in a beautiful section 52
down to about 69 in Lumen Gentium beautifully lays out the role of the Blessed Virgin
Mary did not end. I mean, if it ended right there, that pretty much says it all. The
whole Jesus comes to the whole world through us. But we also see how that God gave a unique role
to Mary with regard to the salvation of all, not just in the Incarnation,
but the wedding Feast of Cana. It's through her intercession.
Jesus begins his ministry, and according to John 2:11, the Apostles come to faith,
and Jesus performs his first miracle and begins to manifest His glory through the
intercession of Mary. And then on we go - and I don't have time to do
everything - but at the foot of the Cross in fulfillment of the prophecy of Simeon
in Luke Chapter two verses 34 and 35, behold a sword shall pierce your soul.
And what's fascinating about this prophecy is he had just said This child is set for
the fall and rising again of many in Israel to be a sign of contradiction
which shall be spoken against. And of course, there he's referring to the
cross and the fact that Jesus would die for all. But then in the next breath he says,
a sword will pierce your soul all also that the thoughts out of many hearts would be manifest.
So in other words, the same people. That's all of us. That Jesus. Oh, this is so good,
folks. The same people Jesus was dying for. Mary is said to suffer for and it will be the
joining of the sacred heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary in that prophetic
suffering which would be fulfilled at the foot of the cross, that Mary gives birth to all of us.
And you see that so beautifully laid out in the Book of Revelation Chapter 12,
where Mary gives birth to Jesus and verses 4 and 5, and in verse 17, she gives birth to all of us,
and that is so perfectly made actual effectual there at the foot of the cross. And of course,
that gift goes into eternity in Revelation 12, because she continues to give birth to all of us.
So that's just a little thumbnail sketch of Mary's role in God's plan of salvation. But remember,
as Pope Francis has emphasized so much with regard to Mary, her role as that of a mother,
she is our mother who nurtures us from now until our dying days. This is why we
say pray for us sinners, both now at the hour of our death to our Blessed Mother
because she loves us as only a mother can, and she keeps us all the way into eternity.
God bless you and all of us! We need a relationship
with the Blessed Mother because God says so!