Mary and Joseph are the first to adore Jesus, both in the womb and during His early years. It is good for us to return as Pope St. Paul VI told us, to the School of Nazareth. Mary offered her fiat to God’s plan to save the world and re-establish all creation. Although Mary did not fully understand her part in the plan of salvation, her words, “How can this be?” (Lk 1:34) spoken to the Archangel Gabriel, remind us of the wonder of God’s election. Her yes enabled every member of the Church to follow to offer their own yes to what God has done in becoming her Savior and her Son.
Joseph, in his obedience to God and to the share of salvation God gave him, had the courage and faith to take Mary into his home. (cf. Mt 1:24) He understood his position in salvation history as he beheld the wonder of Mary’s motherhood. With his role clear, he joined Mary in her exultation of what God has done: “The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name.” (Lk 1:49)
Like Joseph, our part in salvation history is shaped by these two disciples who responded to God’s initiative in faith, just as their father Abraham did. For both of them, and you and me, it is through this response in faith that we, like Abraham, are credited with righteousness. (cf. Gn 15:6)
Mary’s motherhood is the singular and spectacular evidence of her trust in God, and it stands as the model of discipleship for all the Church—for all who would come after her. Some may believe the Church is a little excessive in its praises of Mary, but nothing could be less true. The Church cannot overemphasize what God deigned to do by electing this child of Nazareth to be His mother. All Mary’s excellences are a direct result of, and wholly dependent on, her motherhood of God and the mighty things God has done for her.
One can only contemplate the profound bond between Mary and Jesus as she bore Him in her womb. Mary became not just a vessel but a cooperator in the salvation of the world, as we, too, are called to be. It was she, Mary, who accompanied Jesus from the moment of the archangel’s greeting to being present for the laying of her Son’s broken body in the tomb. She was a witness to the mighty works of God from the womb to the empty tomb.
For those who come after Jesus and choose to follow Him by shouldering their own crosses, (cf. Mt 16:24-26) Mary not only accompanies her children but also teaches them as they become followers and bearers of Christ.
Pope St. Paul VI, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Marialis Cultus, writes that Mary is an essential element of the Eucharist. Mary, in her motherhood and her witness, gave her wholehearted cooperation to God’s mighty plan to reestablish all creation in Christ. She is the Mother of God, the Mother of the Eucharist and the Mother of the Church on Mission. Jesus lived His obedience to the Father first with Mary, His Mother, and shared His mission first with her and with St. Joseph—just as He now desires to reestablish our identity and live out His obedience to the Father in us.Mary is the handmaid of the Lord, aiding us in our contemplation of Christ, just as she and Joseph did. She aids us in bearing Christ in our hearts and assuming our part in the Church’s mission and plan. Mary stands at the head of the Church, pointing to Jesus with the tenderness of a mother’s love, and saying to us—and with us—simply and profoundly: “Do whatever He tells you.”
By Most Reverend Gerard W. Battersby, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse
Published in the Summer 2025 issue of Catholic Life magazine