The Catholic Defender: Prayer of Thanksgiving to Our Glorious Mother of God

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O blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, we come before you with humble hearts to give thanks for all the graces you have obtained for us from your divine Son.

Accept our thanksgiving and present it to your Son, Jesus Christ, that our lives may give glory to God. For the complete text of the Prayer of Thanksgiving to Our Blessed Mother, please refer to the referenced source.

Prayer of St. Cyril of Alexandria most commonly refers to his famous hymn or praise of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Theotokos), delivered during the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD, where he defended Mary's title as the Mother of God against Nestorianism.

St. Cyril’s Prayer / Praise of the Mother of God (Theotokos)

St. Cyril's famous homily from the Council of Ephesus praises Mary as the eternal temple of the Godhead, the support of the true faith, and the one through whom the Holy Trinity is glorified and the human race comes to the knowledge of truth. The full text of this praise, beginning with "Hail, Mother and Virgin, eternal temple of the Godhead..."

The morning star (Venus) appears in the night sky just before dawn, signaling that the sun is about to rise. In Christian symbolism, Jesus Christ is the "Sun of Justice" and the true Light of the World; Mary is the morning star that heralds His coming into the world out of the darkness of sin and fallen humanity.

As Cardinal John Henry Newman observed, Mary does not shine with her own light, but reflects and points toward her Son. Her appearance in scripture and tradition reassures the faithful that Christ is close at hand.

Mary as the Holy Temple

The Dwelling Place of God: Just as the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy of Holies in the ancient Jerusalem Temple housed the presence of God, Mary’s womb became the living temple in which God the Son literally took flesh and was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Traditional prayers and liturgical hymns describe her as the "Holy Temple in which God Himself was conceived", highlighting her purity, consecration, and unique intimacy with the Trinity.

Because she housed the Savior and offered a perfect response of faith, Christian tradition also views Mary as the archetype and model for the Church itself—which is likewise called the temple of the Holy Spirit.

O most holy Lady, Theotokos, light of my poor soul,

my hope, my protection, my refuge, my comfort, and my joy!

I thank you for having enabled me to be a partaker

of the most pure Body and most precious Blood of your Son.

Enlighten the eyes of my heart, O Blessed One

who carried the Source of Immortality.

O most tender and loving Mother of the merciful God;

have mercy on me and grant me a repentant and contrite heart with humility of mind.

Keep my thoughts from wandering into all kinds of distractions,

and make me worthy always, even to my last breath,

to receive the most pure Mysteries of Christ for the healing of my soul and body.

Give me tears of repentance and thanksgiving that I may sing of you