Mary, Worthy of all Praise: Reflections on the Virgin Mary

In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the angel's timeless proclamation to Mary, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women" (Luke 1:28). Every generation of Christians must contemplate these angelic words, for Mary is the Theotokos and Mother of our Lord. Every culture must confront her mystery.

THrough its worship services, the Church gives us many opportunities to consider the place of the mother of Jesus Christ in our lives. The beautiful Paraklesis service, sung every day during the Virgin's Lent, offers the perfect vehicle to do just that. Sung from the first to the fifteenth of August, and at other times of illness and distress, the Paraklesis is a supplicatory song, a canon of praise, a collection of eight odes of love, a series of poems celebrating with honor the mother of Jesus our Lord.

Fr. David Smith shares with us his own personal meditations on Mary, based on his reflections on the Paraklesis service. If you have a longing to make the Theotokos a greater part of your life- to bless her, as commanded by Gabriel- these throughout contemplations will encourage and profit you immensely.