The angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” —Luke 1:26–28

There are a plethora of accusations slung at Catholics, especially converts, but no topic more heated than the Blessed Mother. It’s the one heard most often: “Why do you worship Mary?” or, “Those Catholics put her on the same level as God!”

First, let’s clear the air: neither of these are true.

The angel Gabriel says it himself in Luke’s gospel: Mary is “full of grace.” This isn’t just a good person; Mary is full of the very presence of God! In no way does that make her equal with God. We, too, should strive to be full of grace, to be filled with the Spirit and God’s influence.

Rather than worshipped, Mary and the saints are venerated. Its definition (according to dictionary.com) is “to regard or treat with reverence,” or, a feeling of deep respect. We feel reverence for any number of people: parents, teachers, supervisors; they’re the ones who stay with us, and we seek their advice when things get hard.

Mary is just the same. Though human like us, she was chosen by God to bring the Messiah into the world. What could be more worthy of reverence than that? She follows Jesus through his life, until death itself, and we can learn something from her about that, too. She was not only chosen by God—awe inspiring in itself—but also lived a holy and honorable life. This is a true role model, as the person closest to Jesus in his earthly life. Wouldn’t it be something to talk to Mary, and have her pray for us? We already ask our friends for their intercessions, so asking the same of Mary is no different—besides having a special place as the Mother of God.