Mary's part in the history of redemption is intermixed with the history of the people of Israel in the Old Testament. As a descendent of the House of David she is identified early in the Gospels as the young woman who said 'yes' to God and who bore the child Jesus. She raised him through his infancy and eventually followed him to the cross to watch him suffer and die for our sake. Because of her resolute trust in God and her willingness to bear his only Son, Mary has attained special honour among those whom we call 'saints':

"And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God."" Gospel of Luke 1: 35

"And Elizabeth cried out: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!" Luke 1:42

With Elizabeth, the kinswoman of Mary who bore St. John the Baptist and was first to called her Blessed, we rejoice in the example of the Virgin Mother.