Viral video of cute toddler hugging a statue of Mary

The Virgin Mary is undoubtedly the embodiment of the most perfect tenderness, and this little boy seems to feel it. In a video posted on her Instagram account on October 17, mother Nichole Lanthier shows her little boy, aged around two, rushing up to a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He wraps his arms around it in a burst of spontaneity that only children can have. Snuggled up against the statue's heart, the toddler then raises loving eyes to Mary. The video has more than half a million likes.

It’s worth clicking through to Lanthier’s account to see more of her posts; alongside photos of her family are portraits of saints. She’s a Catholic artist who shares beautiful images of her work on her profile.

The Virgin Mary has always had a strong bond with children. Indeed, she often chose them as messengers of Christ's love. Her apparitions to the children of Fatima, Lourdes, La Salette and Pontmain are just a few examples.

Teaching our children to pray to the Virgin Mary, who was chosen to become the mother of humanity at the foot of the Cross, can only bring great and beautiful graces. "It was through Mary that Jesus Christ came to us, and it is through her that we must go to Him," said St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort!

As is inevitable on the internet, some people have commented on her posts saying that Catholics worship Mary and should only pray to God. She replies with another post showing her son in front of a statue of Mary, accompanied by quotes from Venerable Fulton Sheen and St. Louis de Montfort.