Monday 1st June 2020.
Read Genesis 3:9-15,20,
Psalm 87 and John 19:25-34
“When Jesus
saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his
mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son!’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your
mother!’” (John 19:26-27)
Every
year, on the day just after Pentecost Sunday, the church celebrates a very
special memorial called Mary, the Mother of the Church. Having completed the
seven weeks of Easter, today is a day for us to pause awhile and remember the
special role of Mary in the course of the whole Easter festivities and in
particular, to examine the full weight of the words Jesus spoke the foot of the
cross: “Behold, Your Mother.”
In our first
reading today, we are reminded of the words God spoke just after Adam and Eve
had eaten from the forbidden tree. In cursing the serpent who tempted them, God
said: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and
her seed…” Who was God referring to as “the woman”? The Blessed Virgin Mary and
her seed? Jesus Christ.
Mary holds
the title of the Mother of the Church because she was present as a Mother
throughout all the events that marked the beginnings of the church. When Jesus
appeared to his disciples after rising from the dead, Mary was there. On the
day of Pentecost, the day the church was born, Mary was there. Like a very
responsible and caring mother, Mary has never abandoned the church. All the
apostles addressed her as Mother and treated her with respect and dignity.
Just as
John took her home upon hearing the words, “Behold Your Mother” we also take
Mary home through our devotional practices. One may ask, does Mary deserve this
title? What makes her mother of the church? Mary, together with Joseph raised
Jesus. She was with him throughout his hidden years of formation and remained
with him all through his public ministry. Mary instigated Jesus’ first public
miracle for the good of the couple in Cana.
Through
Mary’s intercession, the church has recorded and continues to record countless
testimonies. Mary has proven beyond every doubt that she is more than just an
envelope, she is a woman we can talk to, a woman we can rely upon to help her
talk to her Son, Jesus Christ.
Let us
pray: Lord Jesus, may your Mother intercede for us both now and at the hour of
our death. Amen.
*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith.
It is well with you. God bless you. (Memorial of Mary, Mother of the
Church. Bible Study: Genesis 3:9-15,20, Psalm 87 and John 19:25-34).*
Fr. Abu
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