Being that I have written on the Catechism of the Catholic Church and it’s role in the New Evangelization, today I have chosen some select paragraphs from the Catechism that speak about Mary.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the universal catechism that was promulgated in 1992 by Blessed John Paul II to help teach the faithful the correct and orthodox doctrines (Read CCC 11-12) that the Church has professed for nearly 2,000 years. Recently at a Catechetical Symposium here in Phoenix, Dr. Scott Hahn, said that the Catechism is the tool of the New Evangelization.

If you would like to read the extensive words of the Catechism on the Blessed Mother, I would encourage you to pick it up, flip to the back of the index, and look up the paragraph numbers (not page numbers!) that speak about Mary.  Here are a few of my favorites –

Paragraph #487 – “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ.”

Paragraph #493 – “The Fathers of the Eastern tradition call the Mother of God “the All-Holy” (Panagia) and celebrate her as “free from any stain of sin, as though fashioned by the Holy Spirit and formed as a new creature.” By the grace of God Mary remained free of every personal sin her whole life being.”

Paragraph #502 – “The eyes of faith can discover in the context of the whole of Revelation the mysterious reasons why God in his saving plan wanted his Son to be born of a virgin. These reasons touch both on the person of Christ and his redemptive mission, and the welcome Mary gave that mission on behalf of all men.”

Paragraph #511 – “The Virgin Mary “cooperated through free faith and obedience in human salvation” (LG 56 [mine – Lumen Gentium, Vat. II doc on the Church]). She uttered her yes “in the name of all human nature” (St. Thomas Aquinas, STh III, 30, 1). By her obedience she became the new Eve, mother of the Living.”

Paragraph #971 – “All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’ devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient of times the Blessed Virgin Mary has been honored with the title ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs…This very special devotion…differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.”

Paragraph #2679 – “Mary is the perfect Orans (pray-er), a figure of the Church. When we pray to her, we are adhering with her to the plan of the Father, who sends his Son to save all men. Like the beloved disciple we welcome Jesus’ mother into our homes, for she has become the mother of all the living. We can pray with and to her. The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary and united with it in hope.”

Today’s “Mondays with Mary’s” is dedicated to my friends at My Mother Mary. If you have never visited their Facebook page, it’s a great treat with many beautiful pictures, quotes from the saints on the Blessed Virgin Mary, and other items covering the Church.