I’ve always known the answer. No, Catholics do not worship Mary. And yet, I’ve been afraid of getting too close because I thought intimacy equalled worship.

To clear up this misunderstanding we have to look at who Mary is. Mary is virgin and mother. As virgin, she is without sin. She only wants what God wants. As mother, she only wants to please her Son. She cares more about His well- being than her own. Together as virgin and mother, her heart is completely ordered toward the desires of Jesus.

This means we can trust that she will lead us to Jesus and not to herself. It is impossible for us to worship Mary because she won’t let us. She isn’t in it for the glory. She’s in it for Jesus.

With this new perspective, I can begin to venture into intimacy with Mary. But it can be difficult to know where to begin. Thankfully, Pope Francis has spoken about Mary many times. He has a strong devotion to her.

This past weekend, as the month dedicated to Mary began, Pope Francis spoke of how Mary is a mother who cares most of all about “the health of her children.”

The Pope also spoke of three ways in which Mary impacts our lives. “She helps us in our growth, she helps us to face life, she teaches us to be free,” he said.

Spiritual growth is drawing closer to Jesus. When we approach Mary, she takes us by the hand and brings us to Jesus. She instructs us with the most important advice: “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5).

She helps us to face life. I see this aspect in the desperate rosaries uttered by people with tear-stained faces: when the car breaks down, when a loved one dies, when a marriage falls apart. Mary reminds us that God cares for us. And with that knowledge, we can face anything.

I favour the Pope’s proclamation that “she teaches us to be free.” Freedom is often misunderstood in our world. We think it is the ability to do whatever we want and rebel against God. But the youth catechism, or YouCat, says, “Man is freest when he is always able to say yes to the good.”

Mary can teach us how to say yes to God and thus be free. She gave the ultimate “yes” to God at the Annunciation when she said, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

So there’s really no need for awkwardness. Jesus loves His mother. And He wants us to love her too.

(Brown, 20, is a second-year journalism student at Carleton University in Ottawa.)