St. Irenaeus taught, Just as the former—that is, Eve—was seduced by the words of an angel so that she turned away from God by disobeying his word, so the latter—Mary— received the good news from an angel's announcement in such a way as to give birth to God by obeying his word; and as the former was seduced so that she disobeyed God, the latter let herself be convinced to obey God, and so the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve. And as the human race was subjected to death by a virgin, it was liberated by a Virgin; a virgin's disobedience was thus counterbalanced by a Virgin's obedience….   The Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 494) tells us, At the announcement that she would give birth to "the Son of the Most High" without knowing man, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that "with God nothing will be impossible": "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be [done] to me according to your word." Thus, giving her consent to God's word, Mary becomes the mother of Jesus. Espousing the divine will for salvation wholeheartedly, without a single sin to restrain her, she gave herself entirely to the person and to the work of her Son; she did so in order to serve the mystery of redemption with him and dependent on him, by God's grace: As St. Irenaeus says, "Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race." Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert…: "The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith." Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary "the Mother of the living" and frequently claim: "Death through Eve, life through Mary."   The Virgin Mary prayed with great faith and trust in the Lord. In Sacred Scripture, we see glimpses of the Blessed Mother’s deep interior life. For example, when she visits St. Elizabeth, we see this beautiful prayer (Luke 1:46-55): My soul magnifies the Lord,and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden.For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed;for he who is mighty has done great things for me,and holy is his name.And his mercy is on those who fear himfrom generation to generation.He has shown strength with his arm,he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts,he has put down the mighty from their thrones,and exalted those of low degree;he has filled the hungry with good things,and the rich he has sent empty away.He has helped his servant Israel,in remembrance of his mercy,as he spoke to our fathers,to Abraham and to his posterity for ever.   First, Mary is truly our mother. In Revelation 12:17, we see that the offspring of Mary are “those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” Thus, as Christians, we become the sons and daughters of Mary. Second, Mary is our perfect example of following Jesus in everything we do. For example, at the Wedding Feast at Cana, she said to the servants, “Do whatever [Jesus] tells you.” This was the running theme throughout Mary’s life: continually pointing to her Son. Also, Mary shows us how to truly obey God. At the Annunciation, Mary was a young teenager, a virgin. Instead of saying “no” to the Lord because of the enormity of the request, she put total trust in the Lord. In our daily lives, we should follow her example as we trust God in all large and small issues.   The AnnunciationThe VisitationThe Nativity of the LordThe Presentation at the TempleThe Finding of Jesus in the Temple For the Mysteries of the Rosary, go to the following links: JOYFUL MYSTERIES LUMINOUS MYSTERIES SORROWFUL MYSTERIES GLORIOUS MYSTERIES