She was so young, perhaps only in her early teens. Yet, Mary, the mother of Jesus, taught him his first prayer and sang the Psalms to lull him to sleep. In the gospel of Luke, especially, she is the picture of the perfect follower of Christ.
First, her devotion shines through. “Be it unto me according to thy word,” (Luke 1:38) is her response to God. She understood that to live with Jesus required dedication and loyalty.
Second, her inner life was pure. “Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). To live with Jesus is to put a priority of the treasures of the heart and meditation on the wonders of Christ.
Third, her sacrifice was complete. With her baby in her arms, Simeon, the old man in the Temple, said to her, “And a sword will pierce your own soul, too” (Luke 2:35). We read, “there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother” (John 19:25).