Mary, Mother of the Church

Mary, Mother of the Church

“Then Jesus said, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”

This past year, on February 11, 2018, on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, Pope Francis added a new feast to the calendar: Mary the Mother of the Church. This feast will be commemorated by the universal church every year on the Monday after Pentecost.

Mary is a central part to our salvation and our relationship with God through Jesus Christ. We see in scripture how Mary was always focused on doing the Will of God.

Our first encounter with Mary in Scripture is in Luke, chapter 1. In this chapter Gabriel first visits Zechariah and informs him that his wife, Elizabeth, was going to have a baby, who was to be called John. Gabriel then goes to Mary and informs her of the fact that she will conceive and carry a son, who she is to call Jesus. Upon first encountering Mary, Gabriel says, “Hail full of Grace, the Lord is with you.” Though Mary was startled and wasn’t sure what this greeting meant, she would listen attentively to Gabriel as he went on to explain God’s plan for salvation, using Mary to be the mother of the Messiah. Mary wasn’t sure how this was to take place since she wasn’t yet married and had not yet had any marital relations with Joseph. After being explained that it was through the power of the Holy Spirit that this will occur, Mary replies, “I am the handmaiden of the Lord. Be it done to me according to your word.”

Then years later, at the Wedding Feast of Cana, we see Mary concerned about the bride and groom running out of wine. Mary’s advise to the waiters was, “Do whatever he tells you.” As a result, Jesus saves the day by making wine out of water.

Then finally we see Mary at the foot of the cross, watching her Son being cruelly put to death on the cross. With her is John the Evangelist. Jesus, from the cross, instructs John to take care of His Mother, and in turn he gives His mother to John. This is symbolic of the feast we are remembering today. By giving Mary to John, Jesus is in turn giving Mary to the Church and to each one of us.

As heartbreaking as it was, watching her son die such a cruel death, she had hope and trust in God. She would, three days later, see her risen Son on that First Easter Sunday.

When our Lord gave John his mother on that Good Friday morning, he was giving her to us as well, to be our mother. We are called to imitate her in all things. God was always at the heart and center of all she did in her life. She was called by God, through the Angel Gabriel, to bring Jesus into the world. Then she would be part of his life as a good mother throughout his entire life here on earth. Her priority throughout life was to always have Jesus at the center of all she did. Then Jesus was given to us to draw us closer to Him and to get closer to the God who loves us.

Prayer was always an important part of Mary’s life and relationship with God. She was in prayer when Gabriel first appeared to her to be the mother of Jesus. Then, as we heard in the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, she was praying with the apostles: “All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women and Mary the Mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”

In the book The True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin by Saint Louis-Marie De Montford we read, “When Mary has taken root in a soul, she produces in it wonders of grace which she alone can produce for alone she is the fruitful Virgin who has never had and never will have her equal in purity and fruitfulness.” When we allow Mary to take root in our soul, we allow the Lord Jesus to be in our souls as well. Saint Louis-Marie De Montford goes on to say, “With the Holy Ghost Mary produced the greatest thing that ever was or ever will be: God-Man; she will produce, consequently, the greatest thing that will come to be in latter times.”

With the Blessed Mother, our Mother, in our souls, we will allow Jesus to be the center of all we do. We, like the Blessed Mother, are able, through the grace that is produced by her, to bring Jesus into the world and our lives, thus making it a world that is more God-centered.

Allow Mary into your heart and soul. Call upon your Mother in all your cares and needs! And Jesus will be there to bring you the peace and joy that can only come from God.