The opening verses of our first reading portray two very different images of Mary. First is a heavenly image: "Ö a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."

In the next sentence of the reading, the image of Mary immediately changes to an earthly one: "She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth." This is the type of woman I can associate with.

As I contemplated who Mary is, I thought of my relationship with my children. One of my most special times with my four children when they were young was to hold them in my lap. I got more out of this than they did. During this very special time I became separated from the real world. This tranquil image suddenly changed one day when one of my daughters said she was now too old to sit in my lap. This was a defining and crushing moment for me. My image of a serene world quickly changed to that of the real world.

Like our lives, Maryís life in the real world was not that serene. When she said "yes" to the angel to conceive Jesus, she pondered in her heart what it meant. Mary must have been terrified to tell Joseph that she was pregnant without ever being with a man. What did she tell her parents?

Mary gave birth to Jesus in a lowly stable. Afterwards, the holy family had to flee to Egypt to escape killing of the newly born. When Jesus was growing up, Mary found that he was not in their caravan after having left Jerusalem for three days. All parents know the terror of not being able to find their child.

Finally, Mary had to bear her sonís suffering and death. This image is one of a woman just as human as the rest of us. Very little is said about Mary in the Bible except during Jesusí birth and early years, and at the foot of the cross. Mary disappeared into the background like John the Baptist: she had to decrease so that Jesus could increase.

We celebrate Maryís assumption into heaven body and soul because Mary was the mother of Jesus. And since Jesus is God, Mary is the mother of God.

We must strike a balance in honoring this woman who was human, but also chosen by the Father so that his Son could be born on earth like us.

There are two extremes of Marian devotion that should be avoided. A minimal approach withholds any and all veneration from Mary The counter point to this is that she is the mother of God, a big step ahead of any of us. When we so exaggerate the divine role in salvation then the value and importance of Maryís human cooperation is lost.

On the other hand, there is a maximal approach, which assumes there are practically no limits to such veneration. Yes, Mary is the mother of God, but she is not God.

Mary prepared the way at the wedding feast at Cana, called Jesus forth into public life, and then receded from view. She never asked for statues to be made of her, or for holy days. She only asked, as she said to the steward at Cana, "Do what ever he tells you."

In the last 2000 years, weíve cleaned up Mary to a heavenly image in a royal blue robe. Her earthly image is as a woman who said "yes" to God and followed her vocation as a mother.

Mary is a model for all who choose to be parents. Like Mary, we are to raise and support our children, launch them, and then disappear into the background. Our job is not easy, but neither was it easy for the mother of God.