The title Theotokos protects the Church's confession of Christ. It does not mean that Mary is the source of the divine nature. It means that the one born of her is truly God incarnate, not a merely human person later joined to God.
Honor and worship
Orthodox Christians honor the Theotokos with deep love, hymns, icons, and feasts, but worship belongs to God alone. Asking the Theotokos to pray for us is understood as asking a holy member of the Church to intercede.
Feasts and prayer
The Church commemorates events connected with the Theotokos throughout the liturgical year. Hymns to her often point back to Christ, the Incarnation, obedience, humility, and the mystery of salvation.
A model of faithful response
The Theotokos is honored not only because of her role in salvation history, but also as an image of faithful response to God: humility, obedience, prayer, and surrender to the divine will.
Orthodox devotion to the Theotokos should always be understood in relation to Christ and the Church's confession of the Incarnation.