Today being 'Mother's Day', my thoughts have turned to the many aspects of motherhood given to Mary down through the ages - in the Litany of Loreto, she is hailed as "Mother" twelve times. One of the early divisions in the Christian community centred on her title of "Mother of God". Subsequently, she came to be known as "Mother of the Church". In one of the visions experienced by the Founder of Sacri, Bruno Cornacchiola, at Tre Fontane, Rome on 23rd February, 1982, Our Lady referred to herself as "Virgin of the Revelation and Mother of the Church".
Point 1: When the Angel Gabriel came to Mary, she was described as being "Full of grace", meaning, in the most basic sense of the phrase, loveliness, full of attractive charm, full of graciousness. To say that Mary was full of grace is to say that she combined all those qualities that make a person attractive to God and to people. This would have been the understanding of those who first heard it and who first recorded it. At a later date, theologians devised discussions which included thoughts on the nature of grace and on Mary's special role in the plan of salvation.
Point 2: In recent years, Catholic Christians have come to understand that part of Mary's "graciousness" is to reflect the tender, compassionate love of God for people. In and through Mary we learn that God loves with a father's strength and a mother's gentle tenderness. It has been part of our tradition to visualise God as a stern, righteous and implacable judge. Such was our early education centred on "fire and brimstone"! During his all too short term as Pope - one month - Pope John Paul 1 stated that the love of God was more like the love of a mother than the love of a father. Although it pleased those in the Women's Movement, it let the cat loose amongst the pigeons in theological circles! But it was not a novel thought; it had been stated centuries previously by Julian of Norwich, and even earlier by Isaiah -"As a mother comforts her son, so shall I comfort you", a point well made by Pope John Paul 1, as he beamed his famous smile towards his critics! So, as we mature in our thinking, we are gradually coming to the open recognition that all the attributes found in humanity, male and female, are to be found in the Godhead, and reflected in the person of Mary, Mother of God and Mother of the Church..
Point 3: Mary's role is to be a revealing symbol of God's maternal love . Mary is there as a sacrament of God; she is there to tell us something about God. So! What do mothers do? They comfort us during sickness, provide for our daily needs and make sure that we know that we are loved. Sometimes they may be impatient; sometimes angry and sometimes reprimand us. At best, a mother's love is gentle, kind and tender, reassuring, and comforting. That is the way Mary loved Jesus; and that is the way God loves us. Strictly speaking, we don't need Mary to know that God is gentle, loving and tender; but looking at the graciousness of Mary so expressly recognised by God through His messenger Gabriel, it is easy to recognise that her graciousness is only an extension of God's graciousness.
Conclusion: When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she was full of grace, he was, in effect, telling her that she would reveal as fully as anyone could God's caring love for all. Every feast in honour of Mary, then, is an occasion of reassurance, encouragement and a boost to our confidence in our quest for knowledge and love of God.
"To Jesus through Mary" is a phrase I learned as a child.. Such should be the point of all our devotion to Mary. In and through Mary we learn that God loves us with a father's strength and a mother's gentle tenderness. Every human we know is but a reflection of God's love. As we read in Oseee, (2:21-22):
"I will espouse you to me forever; I will espouse you in right and justice, in love and mercy; I will espouse you in fidelity, and you shall know the Lord".