Since we honour Our Lady not only because of her holiness but primarily because of her unique relationship to Our Blessed Lord, we thereby honour him too.  Indeed, what dishonours him is deliberately to ignore, and have nothing to do with, the one person whom he constantly honours and loves above all others.

We should not think it a compliment to ourselves if a friend of ours were to cut our parents dead and never speak to them.  And I am sure no friend of Our Lord would have gone on like that at the wedding feast at Cana when Jesus and his Mother were there.  And no Christian should now, for the veil which hangs between this life and the next does not turn a friend into a stranger.  For all the time we claim to be friends of Our Lord, we must also be friends of his holy Mother.

References

1. Ken, T. (1637-1711) Her Virgin eyes saw God incarnate born.  Available from:
http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/h/h203.html (Accessed 04 August 2011) (Internet).

2. Keble, J. (1844) ‘Ave, gratia plena’ In Palgrave, F.T. (1890) (editor) The treasury of sacred song (CCCXXX), London: Henry Frowde.  Available from:
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/palgrave/sacredsong.txt (Accessed 04 August 2011) (Internet).

3. Keble, J. (1792-1866) Ave Maria! blessed Maid!  Available from:
http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/a/a397.html (Accessed 04 August 2011) (Internet).