Mary has the highest place in the Church after Christ because: (1) she is the Ever-virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God; and (2) she is our spiritual mother.

1. Mary has the highest place in the Church after Christ because she is the Ever-virgin Mother of Jesus Christ our Lord and God.

The source of Mary’s motherhood is the generous consent which she gave to the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation, who had come to invite her to become the Mother of God, the Mother of God the Son. In God’s plan, the salvation of the world was made dependent on Mary’s decision at that moment. Our Lady not only consented, but also willed, with a clear understanding of the meaning of the mission, that which was being confided to her.

2. Mary has the highest place in the Church after Christ because she is our spiritual mother.

The origin and foundation of the spiritual motherhood of the Blessed Virgin Mary is intimately associated with the Incarnation, because at the Incarnation, Mary gave Jesus to mankind. On Calvary, Our Lord gave us His Mother, and He assigned to her a place near to Him, yet still of a secondary order, subordinated to Him. But this place, in relation to all mankind, is all-powerful and unique. Jesus Christ, the Head Himself, has appointed her to be the mother of the Whole Christ, that is, of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.