Devotion is readiness to do God’s will in anything concerning that which will give honor to God. Devotion is an intimacy with the divine, wherein we live out our life here on earth with footing in Heaven. Devotion is the life of Heaven lived out, even now, long before we die. Devotion is a holy familiarity with the Blessed Trinity, Mary, the angels and saints, our extended family in Heaven.
We consider four aspects of Marian devotion. The first is veneration. We venerate and honor Mary because she is Mother of Jesus. The second is invocation. We invoke Mary because she is our Mother in the order of grace and intercessor for us to her divine son, Jesus. The third is imitation. We imitate Mary because she is without sin and the model of holiness that no saint or angel in Heaven can surpass in holiness. The fourth is by the promotion of Marian devotion to others. By promoting devotion to Mary, we promote that which has been the hallmark of all the saints, devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We can practice and cultivate devotion to Our Lady in many ways. Through prayer to her, we come to know her. In coming to know her, we come to love her. In loving her we imitate Jesus love for her. Just as Mary formed Jesus physically into our human likeness in her womb, so it is that Mary forms us spiritually into Jesus divine likeness in our devotion to her. Just as in Jesus childhood he was nurtured by His mother, whom he obeyed, so we also are nurtured by her and honor Jesus in honoring His mother, in obedience to her words in the Gospel, “Do whatever He tells you”.