Hymn to the Theotokos- series on Divine Liturgy

after the consecration of the Holy Eucharist, the priest continues...

PRIEST: (silent prayers then-) Especially for our most holy, most pure, most blessed and glorious Lady, the Mother of God and ever-Virgin Mary.

PEOPLE: It is truly proper to glorify you, who have borne God, the ever-blessed and immaculate and the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who, a Virgin, gave birth to God the Word, you, truly the Mother of God, we magnify.

Truly proper (or 'fitting'), glorify, magnify; I like the words here. It is fitting that we give respect to the Theotokos, the Mother of God. She who gave birth to God the Word is above the angels. We don't worship her, but we praise her for her YES to God. We don't ignore her as some religious traditions do, but we sing this song directly to Mary (notice that we sing "you" twice during this song) during every Divine Liturgy because of her vital role in salvation history. By the way, that title of Theotokos (Mother of God) is important not to make Mary a demi-God. It emphasizes the dogma that Jesus was, is and always will be God and man. Being born of a woman did not diminish His divinity.