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Since the early days of the Church, Christians have honored Mary, the mother of Christ, for her important role in the history of salvation. While Mary no longer walks the face of the earth as she once did in Nazareth, Mary continues to give unwavering assistance to the Church, the bride of her Son, in both times of strength and suffering. As the Church continues to move forward in her pilgrimage of faith, the Blessed Mother, through her maternal role, actively helps the Church along this journey through both her intercession before the throne of God, and acting as a perfect model for all Christians to follow.
Mary's maternal role in the Church of her Son commenced when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her at the Annunciation. While the vital role of Mother of Christ had been predestined by God in the history of salvation, it was not until Mary agreed to comply with the divine will, by the means of spousal love with the Holy Spirit, that her role as Mother within Christ's Church began. The instant she said “Let it be done unto me, according to your will” (Luke 1:??), Mary, the Theotokos, became God's handmaid, a sinless instrument to assist all of the faithful in Christ's Church in their individual journeys of faith. Just as Mary became the Mother of Christ at the Annunciation, so too did she become the Mother of the Mystical Body of Christ. After all, in the order of nature, a mother does not give birth to the head of her child and not the rest of the body.
On Calvary many years later, Mary's motherhood of mankind is made apparent by Christ himself when he tells his mother, “Woman, behold your son”. It is in this moment that St. John, standing with Mary at the foot of the Cross, represents the entirety of the Church. Immedia...

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...other followers of Christ. By observing this, it is seen that Mary, in fact, leads the disciples of Christ in the early days of the Church through her example and prayers.
At the wedding feast of Cana, she instructs the servants to “Do whatever he tells you”. All of the members of Christ's Church are called to follow this simple order given by the Blessed Mother, just as the servants at the wedding feast did.
To this day, Mary's active participation in her Son's Church in being both a guide and intercessor continues to draw people closer to her Son. United with her Son in heaven, she listens to the cries of her children, and answers their call. By calling upon the Blessed Mother for help and guidance, the members of the Body of Christ are able to move forward, with confidence, along their individual pilgrimages of faith as they continue to build up the Church.

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