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Mary's chief glory is in her nothingness, in the fact of being the Handmaid of the Lord, as one who in becoming the Mother of God acted simply in loving submission to His command, in the pure obedience of faith. She is blessed not because of some mythical pseudo-divine prerogative, but in all her human and womanly limitations as one who has believed. It is the faith and the fidelity of this humble handmaid, full of grace that enables her to be the perfect instrument of God, and nothing else but His instrument. The work that was done in her was purely the work of God. He that is mighty hath done great things in me. The glory of Mary is purely and simply the glory of God in her, and she, like anyone else, can say that she has nothing that she has not received from Him through Christ.

As a matter of fact, this is precisely her greatest glory: that having nothing of her own, retaining nothing of a self that could glory in anything for her own sake, she placed no obstacle to the mercy of God and in no way resisted His love and His will. Hence she received more from Him than any other saint. He was able to accomplish His will perfectly in her, and His liberty was in no way hindered or turned from its purpose by the presence of an egotistical self in Mary. She was and is in the highest sense a person precisely because, being immaculate, she was free from every taint of selfishness that might obscure God's light in her being. She was then a freedom that obeyed Him perfectly and in this obedience found the fulfilment of perfect love.

The genuine significance of devotion to Mary is to be seen in the light of the Incarnation itself. The Church cannot separate the Son and the Mother. Because the Church conceived of the Incarnation as God's descent into flesh and into time, and His great gift of Himself to His creatures, she also believes that the one who was closest to Him in this great mystery was the one who participated most perfectly in the gift. When a room is heated by an open flame, surely there is nothing strange in the fact that those who stand closest to the fireplace are the ones who are warmest. And when God comes into the world through the instrumentality of one of His servants, then there is nothing surprising about the fact that His chosen instrument should have the greatest and most intimate share in the divine gift.

Mary, who was empty of all egotism, free from all sin, was as pure as the glass of a very clean window that has no other function than to admit the light of the sun (Son). If we rejoice in that light, we implicitly praise the cleanness of the window. And of course it might be argued that in such a case we might well forget the window altogether. This is true. And yet the Son of God, in emptying Himself of His majestic power, having become a child, abandoning Himself in complete dependence to the loving care of a human Mother, in a certain sense draws our attention once again to her. The Light has wished to remind us of the window, because He is grateful to her and because He has an infinitely tender love, it is certainly a great grace and a privilege, and one of the most important aspects of this privilege is that it enables us to some extent to appreciate the mystery of God's great love and respect for His creatures.

That God should assume Mary into heaven is not just a glorification of a Mother Goddess. Quite the contrary, it is the expression of the divine love for humanity, and a very special manifestation of God's respect for His creatures, His desire to do honour to the beings He has made in His own image, and most particularly His respect for the body which was destined to be the temple of His glory. If Mary is believed to be assumed into heaven, it is because we too are one day, by the grace of God, to dwell where she is. If human nature is glorified in her, it is because God desires it to be glorified in us too, and it is for this reason that His Son, taking flesh, came into the world. In all the great mystery of Mary, then, one thing remains most clear: that of herself she is nothing, and that God has for our sakes delighted to manifest His glory and His love in her.

It is because she is, of all the saints, the most perfectly poor and the most perfectly hidden, the one who has absolutely nothing whatever that she attempts to possess as her own, that she can most fully communicate to the rest of us the grace of the infinitely selfless God. And we will most truly possess Him when we have emptied ourselves and become poor and hidden as she is, resembling Him by resembling her.

And all our sanctity depends on her maternal love. The ones she desires to share the joy of her own poverty and simplicity, the ones whom she wills to be hidden as she is hidden, are the ones who share her closeness to God.

from Thomas Merton

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The Angelus
The angel  of the Lord brought tidings to Mary: And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it unto me according to thy word. Hail Mary, &c.
And the Word was made flesh: And dwelt among us. Hail Mary, &c.
Pray for us, holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Pour forth, we beseech thee, O Lord, thy grace into our hearts; that as we have known the incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ by the message of an angel, so by his cross and passion we may be brought to the glory of his resurrection. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Regina Coeli - The Easter Hymn of Praise
From Easter Day until Pentecost

Joy to thee, O Queen of heaven: alleluia
he whom thou wast meet to bear: alleluia
as he promised hath arisen: alleluia
pour for us to God thy prayer: alleluia

Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia: For the Lord is risen indeed, alleluia.
O God, who by the resurrection of thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ hast brought joy to the whole world; grant that through his Mother the Virgin Mary we may obtain the joys of life everlasting. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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The Song of Mary - The Magnificat
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour.
He looks on his servant in her lowliness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name!
His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him.
He puts forth his arm in strength and scatters the proud-hearted.
He casts the mighty from their thrones and raises the lowly.
He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty.
He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy,
the mercy promised to cur fathers, to Abraham and his sons for ever.

Walsingham Prayer
O Mary, recall the solemn moment when Jesus, your divine Son, dying on the cross, confided us to your maternal care. You are our Mother, we desire ever to remain your devout children. Let us therefore feel the effects of your powerful intercession with Jesus Christ. Make your name again glorious in this place, once renowned throughout our land by your visits, favours, and many miracles.
Pray, O holy Mother of God, for the conversion, of England, restoration of the sick, consolation for the afflicted, repentance of sinners, peace to the departed.
O blessed Mary, Mother of God, our Lady of Walsingham intercede for us. Amen.

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Almighty, everlasting God. Who, by the co-operation of the Holy Spirit, didst prepare the body and soul of Mary, glorious Virgin and Mother, to become the worthy habitation of Thy Son ; grant that we may be de­livered from instant evils and from everlasting death by her gracious intercession, in whose commemoration we rejoice.
Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

In the U.K. we celebrate Mothering Sunday on the fourth Sunday of Lent.
The ancient tradition of the People of God, is that they visit their Mother Church (Cathedral) or the church of their baptism on this day.

It is said that ceremonies in honour of the Roman god Cybele were adopted by the early Church to venerate the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Small chapels of ease in England served the ordinary needs of parishioners, who journeyed on this day to the mother church of the parish, laden with offerings.
Also the custom began for those working away from home to return home on Mothering Sunday with gifts or mothering cakes for their mothers. It was customary for all those working away from home to be given a holiday to return home.
The custom of Mothering Sunday became more widespread during the C19th, with the practice of going to see parents, especially the female ones. Children would take them a small present, and were said to go amothering.  
The mothering cake was called simnel cake – a very rich fruit cake. The word simnel comes from the Latin simila, a high grade wheat flour.