Holy Mary,  you wished your life to have meaning and purpose and that God would bless your efforts.  May we do no less in our lives.

Holy Mother of God, because you bore God’s son, you’ve been made eternal as we hope to be someday.  Pray for us.

Holy Virgin of virgins, you were simply and completely ready – even if unsure you were told to “not be afraid,” and you said your “yes” which echoes through how many centuries and into our hearts today.

Mother of Christ, you didn’t know it during your time as we do not know in our time and in our encounters what a gentle touch and a healing word can mean to someone.

Mother of divine grace, you knew that life did not begin with you or by you.  May the same realization influence our lives.  Model for us the grace that can influence and strengthen our lives.

Mother most pure, you modeled a genuine sincerity.  May our sincerity be as authentic in our relationships.

Mother most chaste, you modeled for us a love that began with your parents, then Joseph and then expanded to everyone you met.  Can we do any less in our commitments, in our promises, in our resolutions?

Mother inviolate, if you had a middle name it would be “Integrity.”  A powerful word that only means how it sounds.  Strong and enduring.  May your model become our pattern.

Mother undefiled, you were defiled by watching your child die a horrible death.  You were undefiled in your trust and believing in a loving and compassionate Creator.  May the deaths of those close to us not close us in but model your trust and believing.

Mother most amiable, your visit to your cousin caused her baby to leap.  I’m sure that’s not an easy feeling for a pregnant mother.  “Stop that leaping!”  Our one word or our one smile to anyone and everyone draws us closer to you.

Mother most admirable, this is an easy one because you all can take your pick from whatever quality she demonstrated and then strengthen it in your own life.

Mother of good counsel,  that’s our Salvatorian parish on Lisbon Avenue in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but it’s also the prayer and reflection we afford ourselves in preparation for anything.  She kept everything in her heart.

Mother of our Creator,  The Son of God was created within you and the Son of God is recreated within each of us. Whatever is created is beautiful, sacred and holy.

Virgin most prudent,  We can all work on this one in our lives.  You even learned the hard way by telling your Son to take care of the dwindling cheap wine when He told you to back off.

Virgin most venerable,  You proved you were most venerable when you proved that you were most vulnerable.  When you said, “yes,” all the good and scary stuff of life began to pour your way.  We venerate you for that.

Virgin most powerful,  You proved your power through your powerlessness.  You also bless our country, the United States but not as the greatest nation in the world but as one nation among many.

Virgin most merciful,  Ohh.  We can all work on this one in our lives.  “Mercy” is a tough one.  Those quick judgments in our minds about someone slowly becomes presumptions, and then assumptions, and then at dinner one day you begin a sentence with, “I think that she…” and your gossipy thought has now become a fact with a traction all its own.  Those initial, quick judgments sometime become cemented because of our arrogance, smugness and our own insecurities.  Help us Mary on that one, please.

Virgin most faithful, Your faith was tested and then tested and then it was tested again.  Your faithfulness witnesses itself.

Mirror of justice,  This one I particularly like because of the “mirror” part.  When justice is properly administered then we “mirror” God’s justice.  Left to our own wits, we often end up mirroring ourselves.  Not much of an image is it?

Seat of wisdom, This one is my favorite of the whole bunch because I have no idea what it means.  “Seat of wisdom.”  How many wives have said to their husbands, “You sit on your butt all day, get up and do something!”  Perhaps “seat of wisdom” means that wisdom was the foundation of Mary’s life.  That unfolding and revealing wisdom of who God is supports and stations us to be seated along with Mary.

Cause of our joy,  Ahhh.  Finally a fun one.  When you finally found your young Son after that temple episode, joy must truly have entered your whole body.  Don’t tell me that a hearty laugh at all of our aging bodies doesn’t make us joyful and delight in God’s aging folly.  Thanks for that one, Mary.

Spiritual vessel,  This one is important.  This is what we need to remind protestants all the time.  Mary is a vessel.  She is not the beginning nor the end.  As vessel, Mary carries our prayers, no; she walks briskly, no; she speeds, no; she hurries, no; she runs to the Lord with our petitions and prayers as only a mother could or should.  We don’t need Mary to run to the Lord with our petitions but isn’t it cool to have a heavenly mother who still runs errands for us, just like our earthly mothers did for us all those years.

There’s about twenty more titles but I suspect that you’re getting bored so I’ll stop and remind you of the one virtue that the holy Roman Catholic Church missed and that I’ve told you about before.

“Mom.”  How could the Church miss Mary’s greatest virtue in its litany than as our “Mom.”