A Baptist friend of mine once asked, “What’s this thing you Catholics have for the Virgin Mary?”

I answered immediately, “Don’t mess around with Mary. She’s the real deal for me.”

Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ, is the Queen of Heaven and all saints, the original Madonna, and a very special celebration. She is the one I pray to for help and intercession. She is there, ready to offer comfort, strength, and hope to anyone who asks.

Today’s Feast of the Annunciation celebrates the Archangel Gabriel’s visit to the young Virgin Mary in Nazareth.

“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” he said.

With the Holy Spirit, Mary conceived her son and marked the beginning of the Incarnation.

“The fruit of thy womb, Jesus...”

Mary stood faithfully at the foot of the cross with Christ. According to Catholic tradition, at the end of her earthly life she was assumed into heaven. In 1918, Pope Benedict XV wrote that she “redeemed the human race together with Christ.”

A symbol of compassion, peace, and motherhood, Mary continues to inspire millions. She appeared to St. Bernadette at Lourdes in 1858, to children in Fatima in 1917, and earlier at Guadalupe in 1531 and La Salette in 1846.

Reported apparitions in the village of Medjugorje beginning in 1981 continue to keep her spirit alive for many believers around the world.

Writer Therese J. Borchard explains it beautifully: “Mary never goes away. She transcends time, speaks all languages, and knows all cultures.”

Amen.