Living Catholicism: Why Should We Make Family Devotion to Mary Visible?

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October 03, 2004

Why Should We Make Family Devotion to Mary Visible?

The tradition of Catholics having an image or statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary in their homes stems from the tradition of the Church. Down through the centuries, statues, paintings, mosaics, and other images of Mary have been put in places of honor in various churches. Some of these ancient works of art date back to the first century. Yet what function do they serve? Are they just for looks?

The practice of having statues and/or pictures of the Blessed Virgin Mary in churches, as well as in our homes, is to manifest our devotion and veneration for the Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ. As Catholics we honor Mary, first and foremost, as the Mother of God. Second, we venerate her as a perfect imitator of Christ, as St. Paul says, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). So too, Mary calls to us down through the ages to imitate her, not with words so much, but with the example of her life. It is worthwhile for Catholics to look to the Blessed Virgin Mary, since she lived her life in perfect accord with God’s Will.

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church no one person has stood out more as that perfect disciple of Christ than the Blessed Virgin Mary, “henceforth all generations will call (her) blessed” (Luke 1:48). As the Ever-Virgin she shows us her singular love for God, her complete dedication to living for Him alone, and her understanding of the Sacred Mystery of the Incarnation. Yet Mary ever points us to her Son, saying to us, as she did to the servants at the wedding feast at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

So is it worthwhile to have images of the Blessed Virgin Mary in our homes? Absolutely, for in doing so we honor the Mother of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ; we demonstrate to our families and friends our devotion to our Mother in Faith; and we possess a “visible” reminder of our Lady’s presence in the midst of our homes. As Catholic families we need to proliferate sound spirituality in our homes in order to remain faithful to our Lord Jesus and to create a genuine Catholic culture. Devotion to Mary is a fundamental part of experiencing the depths of Christ’s love in our homes, since Mary draws us ever closer to her Son Jesus.

Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, pray for us. Amen.