Fr. Austin Christmas Calls on Christians to Honor Mary and Emulate Her Virtues
KABALE — Rev. Fr. Austin Christmas has urged Christians to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of Jesus Christ and the spiritual mother of all believers, saying devotion to Mary is an important expression of faith.
Fr. Christmas made the remarks during Morning Mass at Our Lady of Good Shepherd Rushoroza, Cathedral as Catholics celebrated the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a feast that honors the purity, love, and interior life of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Addressing the congregation, Fr. Christmas said those who claim to love Jesus while treating Mary as an ordinary person fail to fully appreciate her role in God’s plan of salvation.
“Some people say they love Jesus, but they treat Mary as a common person. If you truly love Jesus, you must honor the woman whom God chose to be His mother,” Fr. Christmas said.
He explained that Mary’s obedience, purity, and willingness to cooperate with God’s will made her worthy of special respect among all people.
“Because of her docility and purity, Mary was chosen by Heaven to give birth to the Son of God. She therefore deserves honor and respect from all Christians,” he said.
The priest compared devotion to Mary with remembering loved ones who have passed away.
“I have a photo of my late mother in our house. Whenever I go home and see it, I remember her goodness and the love she showed me. In the same way, Catholics honor Mary because of who she is and what she means in our faith,” he explained.
Fr. Christmas emphasized that Catholics do not worship Mary but honor her because of her unique role as the Mother of God.
“We honor and respect Mary because of who she is. Those who oppose this devotion often do not understand what the Church teaches,” he said.
He also called upon Christians to cultivate hearts like that of Mary and to promote peace, love, and understanding in their communities.
“There are people who may not be attractive on the outside but have good hearts. There are those who speak the truth to correct others out of love. But there are also hearts filled with jealousy and hatred. We should all strive to have hearts like Mary’s—hearts filled with goodness, humility, and love,” Fr. Christmas said.
The Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary invites Catholics to reflect on the Blessed Virgin Mary’s perfect love for God and her faithful response to His call. Church teaching holds that Mary was preserved from original sin through the grace of God from the first moment of her conception and remained faithful throughout her life as the mother of Jesus and a model of discipleship.
Ends/////
