The Church has many doctrines about the Blessed Virgin Mary. They have been developed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who leads us into the fullness of truth within our own historical development and according to our need to deepen and purify our understanding of the infinite depth of God's revelation.

Just as nations have a history so ideas and doctrine also have a history. Jesus promised us that the Holy Spirit would teach us everything and remind us of all that he had said to us (Jn.14:2) and he would lead us to the complete truth (Jn.16:13). Obviously Jesus was speaking about "salvific truth", the truth that sets us free (Jn. 8:32) because it brings us the gift of salvation.

The Church's doctrine about Mary is salvific because it is intimately and necessarily related to the mystery of Jesus, Lord and Saviour. Today's feast is an example: we do not simply honour Mary. We honour her precisely as the Mother of God, because Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, is true God and true man.