"Lavdate, Marian!"

"Lavdate! Lavdate, Marian!"
This is the phrase that we sang the other night @ the Vigil Holy Mass for the Feast of Our Lady's Assumption into Heaven.
It is a song of praise and joy, given to the Holy Mother of God on one of Her greatest Feasts. There has never and never will be any reason to give this kind of honor and attention to any other creature of God, and thankfully for us, She is really only human ~ one of our own.
Even tho' Her Divine Son is, of course, human and Divine, She is only a simple creature.
I have an acquaintance who does not believe in the Church anymore, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in which she was raised, and goes to a Protestant denomination. I cannot change her mind, even tho' I pray for her and her family all the time. One day, I suspect, she will come home, but in the meantime, there we are.
Every time the Blessed Mother's name is brought up, "Oh, that's a Catholic thing, isn't it?" she replies. (It is the same way with her when I mention the Divine Mercy, but that's a subject for another post.)
According to her way of thinking, Our Lady is nothing more than the Mother of Jesus Christ ~ nothing to get worked up over.
"Nothing but that?!?" I counter, in shock and disbelief.
"Why, yes! What did She do besides have a Baby? Why do you Catholics pay Her so much attention?"
Here, I sigh, finger my Rosary in my pocket, and try to explain ~ for the umpteenth time ~ what my entire family has been taught since our first day of existence...
Sadly, this woman is a relative of mine ~ and I really cannot talk to her anymore about it ~ I can only offer up silent prayer and remember: defending the Faith can be so hard sometimes!
And whenever I attend a Holy Mass in Her honor, like I did the other night, I am so grateful to Her for just HAVING A BABY! The Baby Who came to Her that holy night in Bethlehem, and to all of us.
What else, indeed!
From the first moment of Her conception to the present moment in our time, and on until eternity forever and ever more, She ~ and She alone ~ is the Woman of Faith, Woman of the Eucharist, Woman of the Trinity...and every other title and salutation we can bestow upon Her!
She ~ and She alone ~ is given the title of Mother of All Graces, Mother of Perpetual Help, Mother of Charity and Purity, Queen of All Saints and Angels, Woman of the Gospels, Woman of the Apocalypse, Our Lady of Peace, Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, Queen of the World, Queen of Heaven and Earth...
I don't believe I need to go on here. Can anyone disagree with me on this?
Am I the only one who is amazed and saddened, not to mention scandalized, at the very idea of a daughter or son of Mary who has not heard of all that She has done?!?
She is the Lady of Charity and Purity because when Gabriel came to tell Her the Good News and ask Her if She was willing to take part in it, all She did was say, "yes." That was all She needed to say, and from that moment the history of mankind has been forever changed.
She is the Queen of Martyrs...from the first moment of Her Son's Passion, She suffered every pain, every fearful thought, every wound that He did, and gladly gave Her attention to what He endured for all of us...without a thought for Herself.
Did anyone know this at the time?
No.
As always, She kept Her suffering in Her Immaculate Heart, saving every tear and every pain for Her own offering to the Almighty Father.
She is our own Mother of Perpetual Help because from the Cross Jesus gave Her to us to be our Mediatrix of Graces, Our own Holy and Blessed Mother...and to Her we come for all our needs and desires. And in the words of St. Bernard, "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, and sought thy intercession, was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother! to thee I come, before thee I stand sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate! despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy, hear and answer me. Amen."
In all of this, and in much much more, She is the Queen of our hearts, and therefore deserves all
the honor and praise that we, as Catholics and children of the Church, can lavish upon Her!
And not only us, but the entire world ~ Protestant, Jew, Muslim, nonbelievers and atheists ~ it doesn't matter...She is the Mother of everyone and on this Feast of Her Assumption we should be pleased and grateful to have the chance to recognize all that She has done for us!
Yes, indeed...She did much more than "have a Baby" ~ and She gave us a new spiritual birth in the process!
We should be kissing Her feet.
"Lavdate! Lavdate, Marian!"