Memory of the Virgin Mary. Is the Mary still relevant?

Let’s try to imagine our churches without statues of the Virgin Mary. They probably wouldn’t be what they are anymore. Many of us cannot even imagine our prayers without the rosary. Perhaps many of you, as well as me, were taught by grandmothers to respect the Virgin Mary from childhood. Her life was very mysterious and extraordinary. Let us not be surprised at the woman in the crowd when she exclaimed: “Blessed is the life that bore you and the breasts that you enjoyed” (Luke 11:26).

The teaching about the Virgin Mary appears at the very beginning of the history of Christianity. Holy Scripture mentions little about her life. Jesus beautifully comments on the event from the Gospel: “Certainly, but more blessed are those who listen to God’s word and keep it” (Lk 11:28). Jesus loved his mother, and with this text, he says that he loves us too. The Church teaches that the Virgin Mary is in heaven with body and soul. God has prepared a place for each of us in heaven. The Virgin Mary is one of the greatest mysteries of our faith. The mystery always gives space for searching and thinking and gives us space for the most diverse answers. That is why many Virgin Marys love her, even hate her, worship her, and reject her.

One of the causes of the split between the East and the West in the Church, when the Orthodox Church separated from us, was the lack of respect for the Virgin Mary in the West. In the East, she has always been adored and worshiped to a degree that is often incomprehensible to us. For Orthodox Christians, respect for the Mother of God is increased directly in faith’s very foundations. On the other hand, some of you may have noticed that Marian devotion is a big thorn in the side of believers in evangelical churches. But even among Catholics, there are all kinds of opinions about the figure of the Mother of God. For example, let’s think of some controversial Marian pilgrimage sites for many, such as  Međugorje, where the church authorities have difficulty expressing themselves due to known circumstances.

The Virgin Mary is a mystery, and mysteries are there to capture our attention and occupy our minds. And that is precisely why we have not forgotten the Virgin Mary and often think of her and pray to her. Perhaps precisely because of this, the power of her intercession, which she speaks to God for us, has been manifested many times in the history of the Church. And that’s good because we need it. The importance of Marian’s devotion is immense, even so significant that we cannot adequately explain it. It is precisely because of her modesty and humility that we know so little about her because she did not want to be in the foreground in front of everyone’s eyes. She did her part in salvation quietly in the background. Marian’s devotion is not a human invention. It was given to us from above for our good, sanctification, and salvation. And as the Lord Jesus descended through Mary, we can ascend to Jesus through Mary. Through Mary, God gives us a helping hand. We will not refuse her.