In the Catholic Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary is held in high esteem, as she was chosen to be the Mother of God, the one who bore the Messiah. Her role is seen as an essential part of Salvation History, and after her Assumption into Heaven, Christians continued to call upon her aid.
Initially she was simply invoked by Christians under her name, Mary, or Mother, as that is how people knew her at the time. Jesus himself told his followers to call her Mother, as it is recorded in the Gospel of John: "Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother!'" (John 19:27)
However, it didn't take long for Christians to begin giving her what we might consider as nicknames or venerating her under various titles. Some people might think that these titles are referring to different Marys, but they all name a single Mary, the Mother of God.
That's why it can be helpful to think of these titles as nicknames, as we are familiar with giving other people names of endearment, often out of our love or admiration for them.
Each of the titles of Mary that have developed over the centuries typically falls into one of the following categories:
Relationship to Jesus or the Church
The first set of nicknames recall Mary's unique relationship to either Jesus or the Church he founded. This includes such titles as Mother of God, Mother of the Church, Mother of Mercy, Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, and Queen of Apostles.
All of these reflect a particular relationship she has to us or to Jesus.
Location of an apparition
One of the best known categories of titles includes those that refer to particular locations where the Virgin Mary has reportedly appeared.
This would include Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Knock. These titles simply connect Mary to a particular place on the map, thus showing her closeness to a local community.
Highlighting her virtues or interior life
The last set of nicknames covers a whole list of virtues or descriptions of Mary's interior life. The Litany of Loreto uses many of these titles, including Mother most pure, Mother most chaste, Mother inviolate, Mother undefiled, Mother most amiable, Mother most admirable, Mother of good counsel, Virgin most prudent, Virgin most venerable, Virgin most renowned, Virgin most powerful, Virgin most merciful, Virgin most faithful, Mirror of justice, Seat of wisdom and Cause of our joy.
These titles are probably the closest to the nicknames we are familiar with, as they use various adjectives or metaphors to praise Mary and her particular virtues.
Above all, we need to remember that we aren't invoking multiple Mary’s, but only one Mary, who continues to capture our attention and love.
From: Aleteia
