On Aug. 15, we celebrate the Solemnity of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The feast commemorates the event of Mary, after her earthly life was over, being taken up to heaven, body and soul. It makes sense that Mary, the mother of God, would be singled out like this. After all, Jesus entrusted not just his beloved disciple to Mary’s maternal care; she is the spiritual mother of the whole world. Think about that for a minute.When do children call on their mothers? When they need something, food or money or a costume for tomorrow morning’s school pageant. When they are afraid, of a spider, or the dark, or having their hearts broken. When they want shelter and protection, from the cold, from playground bullies, from the vagaries of an inconsistent economy and unreliable job market. Mary’s motherhood, perhaps, is most evident in the way so many Catholics turn to her in prayer when they are desperate and need to not feel alone. There’s a reason it’s called a “Hail Mary” pass in football, after all. Years ago, talking to friends about the prayers we instinctively turn to when we are most in need, one person said it was the “Our Father.” Another mentioned the 23rd Psalm. But for me and most of the people there, it was the “Hail Mary” all the way. It makes sense, because mothers seem wired to respond to the pleas of their children, no matter how inconvenient. Ask any mom you know if their children have walked right past their father to ask their mother for something — even walked out of the kitchen where their father is, to find their mother in another room, and asked her for a snack. In my experience, every single mother will say that’s happened. (Parenting pro tip: If the children can get what they want for themselves, “You can get that yourself” is a perfectly acceptable answer.) Then there’s the flip side: Jesus was Mary’s actual human son. If you’re afraid he’s not answering your prayers, who better to go to than his mother? If she’s like most mothers, she’ll insist on an answer. Catholics know Mary is not God, certainly not a small-g god, either. I’ve heard that Catholic devotion to her confuses some non-Catholics, who think we worship her rather than venerate her as a saint. They have it wrong. We connect to Mary so strongly precisely because of her humanity, because she is one of us. Her heroic “yes” at the Annunciation does not make her less human; it just shows us the vastness of our potential to do right in the most difficult of circumstances. And when we fail, as we do, we know she understands. After all, being born without sin doesn’t mean never making a mistake, and she thought Jesus was with Joseph for three days after leaving him in the temple in Jerusalem. I hope that on this Marian feast day, her children — all of us — take the time to appreciate her spiritual motherhood. And maybe try to give her a break as well.