Apparently in agreement with John Guillaumier’s ‘Marian cult’ (January 1) Jesus said: “ Who are my brothers and mother?... Those who do the will of my Father in heaven, they are my brothers and sisters and mother” (Mt 13:48).

This can be taken as a demotion of Mary from her exalted position to our level. It can also mean the opposite: promoting all true disciples to her level, in fact, to Christ’s divine level.

Through the Holy Spirit, Christ helps any human being to do the will of His Father and be raised to the level of his brother or sister or mother.

Compared to God’s plans for us, the highest of titles attributed to Mary, even those borrowed from pagan mythology, are but faint praise. And they are not meant to downgrade us because everything the mother has is for her children.

So let us not worry about Mary eclipsing God. Let us rather worry when we make her eclipse her own children. When we emphasise our fallen nature and our sinful state so much in contrast to her greatness that is what we are doing.

The devil told Eve that God is jealous and does not want us to be like Him. He was lying. When we emphasise our ugliness so much, in contrast to her beauty, we are helping him.

“By his divine power (God) has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence, by which He has granted to us His precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”