Non-Catholics not infrequently accuse us Catholics of too much devotion to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and even, at times, feel that such devotion is quite unscriptural. The truth, however, is otherwise. Our devotion to Mary is most essentially manifested in the way we pray to her. The simplest and most direct expression of our devotion is the prayer "Hail Mary", which in fact is almost totally taken verbally from the Gospel. Another prayer which reflects our devotion to Mary is the "Angelus", a daily reminder of the gift of the Incarnation and a reminder that Mary's greatness stems from her active and joyful participation, as the "handmaid of the Lord" in this mystery of our redemption. The Angelus is a prayer also firmly rooted in Scripture.

We cannot truly celebrate Christmas without recalling the Annunciation, and all that the Annunciation story teaches about Mary comes to a great climax when she stands at the foot of the cross and receives the further mission of becoming the Mother of the Beloved Disciple, the Mother of the Church.