Catholics can be inclined to put Mary the Mother of Jesus, on a pedestal; seeing her either as highly favoured – set apart from the grit and grime of everyday life or as simply passive, doing as she was told. Neither could be further from the truth. Read her response in Luke 1:46-55 when, as an expectant mother, she visits her cousin Elizabeth. This is her song of hope. Mary speaks of all that God has done for her and for all people. She speaks of God’s justice; of his care for the lost. How the rich will be scattered, the mighty pulled down, the poor lifted up. Mary spells out God’s radical vision for the world, a vision all people are called to share.
Mary’s title of Our Lady of Perpetual Help has been linked with the well-known 15th century icon of the same name. In 1866 Redemptorists were entrusted with the mission of making Our Lady of Perpetual Help known. Subsequent years have shown a growth in the love and understanding that Catholics share in and through Mary. The guidance, inspiration and loving care of Mary, Mother of God, is indeed a fount of perpetual help to all who call upon her. Regular missions and novenas are celebrated by Redemptorists worldwide in honour of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
Read MOPH Explanation (PDF).
