Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

— Luke 1:42

Either before you arrive or as you wait for class to begin, find this short passage from Sacred Scripture in your Bible or through an online search. Reading it will prepare you for this week’s material.

—Luke 1:26–38

O God, who chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, foremost among the poor and humble, to be the Mother of the Savior, grant, we pray, that, following her example, we may offer you the homage of sincere faith and place in you all our hope of salvation. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

As you watch the video lesson, refer to these key highlights. Feel free to use the space provided to take notes.

• Many criticize the Catholic Church for the importance it accords to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

• The greatest grace of Mary’s life is her divine maternity.

• Mary is full of grace and enjoys perpetual virginity.

• Mary was conceived without original sin by virtue of the merits of her Son (Immaculate Conception).

• At the Assumption, Mary is taken bodily into heaven to share her Son’s victory over death.

• We venerate Mary and the saints for the wonders that God has worked in them, and we ask their intercession that God’s will come about through their prayers and merits.

Wisdom of the Saints

We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor his Mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor him all the more perfectly. We go to her only as a way leading to the goal we seek—Jesus, her Son.

— St. Louis Marie de Montfort

Take a moment to go through these questions with the group. For larger classes, divide them up into partners. Answers are provided to assist you in leading discussion.

1. Why is Mary’s divine maternity (Mother of God) her greatest grace? In what sense do the other mysteries of her life point to this mystery?

   The divine maternity is the Blessed Virgin Mary’s greatest grace because it touches on what is most distinct and important about her; it signifies what is most essential about her life and place in the Church. While it is certainly noteworthy that she is very holy and remained a virgin, we only care because she is the woman in whom the Son of God took human flesh. All the graces that go before (Immaculate Conception, fullness of grace, perpetual virginity) and all that go after (Assumption, maternal intercession) are given in light of this greatest grace and point to it. “To become the mother of the Savior, Mary was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role” (CCC 490).

2. What is peculiar about the grace of the Immaculate Conception?
   Whereas in the ordinary course of events, man is conceived in original sin and then cleansed at baptism, Mary never contracted original sin. Instead, she was redeemed from the moment of her conception. Rather than being liberated from sin, she is entirely preserved from sin (see CCC 491). She is saved by the foreseen merits of her Divine Son.

3. We said that we pray to the saints for their intercession and we give them honor for the grace of God at work in their lives. Do these acts of prayer and veneration distract from the worship of God or enrich it? How?
   Certain prayers are offered to God alone. For instance, to God alone belongs adoration or sacrifice and from God alone we ask mercy (see CCC 2628). But other prayers can be offered to God through the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints (see CCC 828). These prayers are not in competition with the prayers offered directly to God. Rather, God delights that we pray to him through intermediaries. By doing so, we honor God in his works and ascend to him in a company of saints, drawn by bonds of fellowship to the heavenly communion (see CCC 956–57).

4. In what sense is it good or beneficial that God works through the prayers of his saints?
   God could carry out all his plans directly; he lacks nothing that his saints somehow supply. But instead of contenting himself with giving us grace, he chooses to involve man in the giving of grace. In this way, we are made more like him, by becoming real actors in the drama of salvation. Not only are we enriched as passive recipients, we are ennobled as agents and causes. And so God could answer all the prayers offered to him without intermediaries, but he chooses to bring about his plans through his saints for the building up of the Church and for the perfection of the communion of saints.

Catechism Connection

What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.

—CCC 487

Discuss these questions with the group, pair them with a partner, or ask them to meditate on their own.

1. The doctrines describing Mary’s graces seem so otherworldly that it can be difficult to see what significance they have for our lives. Consider the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption. In what way are these graces encouraging for fallen men and women? How do these mysteries instruct and inspire us?

2. Mary is truly the mother of the Church—the mother of all Christians. What does it mean for you to know that you have a spiritual mother? How does that shape your prayer?

3. Cultivating devotion to particular saints is like making heavenly friends. Have you ever felt close to someone you have never met or formed a friendship from a distance? How might that help you think about the saints?

After concluding your group discussion, return to watch the second video where converts to the Catholic faith discuss their conversion and how they live today as Catholics.

Rome to Home

The Father of mercies willed that the incarnation should be preceded by the acceptance of her who was predestined to be the mother of His Son, so that just as a woman contributed to death, so also should a woman contribute to life.

— Pope Paul VI, Lumen Gentium, no. 56

The Annunciation: The occasion on which the angel Gabriel announced God’s plans to Mary and she welcomed his invitation to become the Mother of God. At her word, the Lord was conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Church commemorates this event each year on March 25, nine months before the celebration of the Nativity of the Lord (Christmas).

The Assumption: The occasion on which, at the end of her earthly life, Mary was taken up (assumed) body and soul into heaven. The Church commemorates this event each year on August 15. After enjoying a widespread popular cult (devotion) for many centuries, this doctrine was solemnly defined by the Church in 1950.

The Immaculate Conception: The conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by the coming together of her parents, Saints Joachim and Anne. At her conception, Mary was preserved from original sin and filled with an abundance of grace befitting her sublime mission. Thus, the angel Gabriel rightly hailed her as “full of grace” (Lk 1:28). The Church commemorates this event each year on December 8, nine months before the celebration of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Mary’s birthday). After enjoying a widespread popular cult (devotion) for many centuries, this doctrine was solemnly defined by the Church in 1854.

God’s Word

But when the time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

— Galatians 4:4-5

CLOSING PRAYER
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee, blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of death. Amen.

This serves as a review of the material that your students can read after each class, but it may be helpful for you to read as well. Consider reading it before each class to better prepare you for group discussion.

Mary and the Saints: Idols or Instruments?

Many people are alarmed by how much devotion the Church gives to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Some think that Catholics worship Mary as a goddess. Others think it an overstatement to say Mary is the Mother of God. But actually, whenever we speak about Mary, it reflects something true about God, and what is more, by honoring the Blessed Virgin, we praise God at work in her, one of his greatest creations.

Our Lady occupies the greatest place among the saints because she received such special graces. First, we pause to consider that God called Mary to become the Mother of the Incarnate Lord. The Second Person of the Trinity took flesh in her womb. She is truly the God-bearer. And, just as we insist that Christ took to himself a real human nature, so we stress that Mary is a real mother. Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary. He obeyed her. He learned from her. He imitated her. And, what is more, he loved her more than any other man or woman.

To prepare Mary for her important role in salvation history, God gave upon her an abundance of grace. She is full of grace; in fact, we believe that she possesses the highest degree of grace after that of Christ. God’s grace surrounds the whole of Mary’s life, from her conception to her crowning as the Queen of Heaven.

We also believe that Mary never contracted original sin. By a special privilege, she was conceived free from all stain of sin by the foreseen merits of her Son’s passion. Whereas the common stock are liberated from original sin by baptism, Mary is preserved from ever having contracted it. To draw an analogy, one might say that in the ordinary course, man must be healed from sin by the medicine of grace, whereas in the case of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she is vaccinated from it and so never falls ill. We refer to this miracle as the Immaculate Conception. It may seem strange that Christ applies his grace in such peculiar fashion to this one creature, yet we can appreciate its wisdom. To bring about the work of redemption, Christ uses a perfect instrument who was sanctified in an unprecedented way.

Throughout her life, Mary’s fullness of grace preserved her from every fault, even the slightest of sins. She also practiced the virtues to the utmost and increased in grace throughout her life. We also believe that before, during, and after the birth of Christ, Mary remains a virgin. While this may seem strange, it is equally strange that God should become man. And so perhaps it is fitting that the miraculous Incarnation is signaled by a miraculous conception and delivery.

The Church also teaches that at the end of her life, Mary was assumed bodily into heaven. Mary is so holy and so conformed to her Son that she is associated with him in his victory over death. At the end of her days, God welcomed her to his side, making her Queen of heaven and earth.

Catholics appeal to Mary by a variety of other names including mediatrix and redemptrix. The mysteries which these names suggest in no way diminish the power of God. Jesus Christ, we believe, is the sole mediator of salvation; he alone can reconcile God and man. But, in his generosity, the Lord includes Mary and the saints in his work of salvation as instruments and ministers.

After her Son, Mary has an especially privileged place as a mediator. At the Cross, when Christ entrusted his beloved disciple to Mary (see Jn 19:26–27), he made her the Mother of the whole Church. Again, she is present at Pentecost when God gave the Holy Spirit in such abundance and fashioned his Church. Given the role she exercises in the Church, her graces are fruitful for all believers as those of a mother and intercessor. As we might describe Christ as the inexhaustible spring of grace, then Mary is like the stream or river that flows from it.

For this reason, we pray to Mary and the saints, asking them to aid us through the merits of their holy lives. Here, there is a very natural objection: why not appeal directly to Christ? The response is simple enough: during their lives, God acted in and through Mary and the saints, and so, now that they are in heaven, he continues to do so all the more. God wants his plan to take shape in just this way. The prayers of the saints are actually included in his providential designs. It is not that God cannot manage on his own; rather, he is good and delights to share with his saints the sublime dignity of cooperating in his work, thus making them to be yet more like him. God is indeed wonderful in his saints, and so Catholics venerate the saints, recognizing the grace of God at work within them.

After Mary, St. Joseph enjoys the next highest veneration among the saints. As the Protector of the Universal Church, Chaste Spouse of the Virgin, and Foster Father of the Lord, he was especially close to the mysteries of the Incarnation. St. Joseph would have taught the Lord a trade, instructed him in religious rites, and provided for the Holy Family. He remains a powerful intercessor, generous provider, and staunch defender.

So abundant is God’s goodness that he inspires saints for every age. Among every people and nation, God raises up men and women who testify to the grace of God at work within them. By their life of union with God, the peculiar virtues they exemplify, and the service of their brothers and sisters, the saints magnify the Lord, making God better known.

Devotion to the saints is a lot like friendship. One often meets a new friend by accident or sheer luck, only to find later that it was a providential appointment. God draws certain people into our lives at certain times to help us along. The saints are like this. They act as heavenly examples and faithful witnesses, inspiring us to love God and strive for perfection. And just as we ask our friends to pray for us, so too we ask the saints—the holiest of our friends—whose prayers are most efficacious. In the end, choosing a favorite saint or a confirmation name comes down to discovering an inspiration, a hero, a defender, or a guide—ultimately, a friend. For without friends like the saints, who could live?

Brownson, Orestes. Saint Worship and the Worship of Mary: Why Devotion to the Saints Makes Sense. Manchester, NH: Sophia Institute Press, 2003.

Garrigou-Lagrange, Reginald. The Mother of the Saviour and Our Interior Life. Charlotte, NC: TAN Books, 2012.

Sheen, Fulton J. The World’s First Love. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010.