Our Lady in her humility wants none of the attention for herself. Although she has been crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth, she has lost nothing of her simplicity. She has remained small. She has followed the words of St. John the Baptist: “He must increase; I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). As we saw with little Daisy, Mother did not want Father to lavish attention on her when the harvest was presented. We do not hear about Mother after Father arrives. It is for little Daisy to receive praise from her father and participate in the feast that is prepared from her harvest.

     So there is no worry that giving all we have to Mary will somehow take away from any of the glory we wish to pay to God or receive when we stand before the Heavenly Father. For as God has said, “I will honor those who honor Me” (1 Sam 2:30). It indeed glorifies God when we prepare ourselves and our harvest under the direction of Our Blessed Mother. It was Mary who states, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46-47).

     On the cover of this book, we see Mary presenting the Child Jesus to us. Within the Gospels, Our Lord reassures us with His recurring words: “Do not be afraid” (Jn 6:20; cf. Mt 10:26, Jn 14:27). Indeed, God wants us never to be scared to approach Him. Through the Lord’s mother, we meet Jesus first as a child in her arms. We are called to draw near. Our Lord first came to us on earth, small as a child. He came in a stable through humble beginnings. Simple shepherds came to pay Him homage even before kings knelt to do the same. All this, it seems, is to allow us to feel, as small children, that we are invited to draw near. Through Mary we are brought to the crib of Jesus where we can honor Him.