Last Week Monday, May 20, 2024, the Catholic Church marked the Memorial of Mary Mother of the Church, a day celebrated on the Monday after the Solemnity of Pentecost.
Mother of the Church, (Latin: Mater Ecclesiae) is a title given to Mary in the Catholic Church, as officially declared by Pope Paul VI in 1964. The title first appeared in the 4th century writing of St. Ambrose of Milan, as rediscovered by Hugo Rahner.
Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there and he said to his mother, “he is your son”. Then he said to the disciple “she is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his house. John 19:26-27.
Ordinarily, in life when people are about to depart this life they try as much as possible to make adequate preparations or apportion things that are valuable to them. They try as much as they can to distribute their goods among those whom they think deserve them. Not everyone gets this rare opportunity but the few who are privileged, try to do their best. The above scene in the bible was an event that happened at the foot of the cross. The moment Our Lord knew that his time on earth has come to an end.
Jesus is one of those people who had the opportunity to find a place for their most precious treasures. His most precious treasure at that moment was his mother whom he had decided to leave in the care of his beloved disciple. Well if you doubt if Mary is Jesus’ treasure let me tell you some reason you shouldn’t:
“The Apostles had the advantage of only three years’ teaching to prepare themselves for the establishment of His kingdom, but the Blessed Mother had the advantage of thirty years.”
“Jesus performed his first ever miracle at the request of his mother, even though he said his time has not yet come.” John 2:1-11
The disciple whom Jesus loved could be symbolised as the present day church. And so in this case we can say that Christ has given us to his mother for us to be her children.
They gathered together frequently to pray as a group, together with women and Jesus’ mother and with his brothers. Acts 1:14. This is the scenario of what was going on after Jesus’ resurrection. To say it in short, Mary was present on the day of Pentecost, which is regarded as the birthday of the Church.
When one tries to imagine how much insight and inspiration and wisdom Mary must have received from the years of communing with her Divine Son. She must have been instructed in the Paternity of God and learned how the Person of the Father could not be born nor proceed from others, but how He was rather the origin of all else. She must have understood, too, the eternal generation of the Son by the Father, as being not inferior but equal in Divinity and Eternity. She must have understood, too, how the Holy Spirit, the Third Person, proceeded from the Father and the Son as from one principle, by an act of Will, equal to the other Persons in the Divine Nature. Cf. the world’s first love by Fulton J Sheen.
Our mother being present during these young age of the church, would not deny the apostles of this wisdom. This means that as the New Eve, she was there to nature the apostles, the church as a mother does her newborn child till the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
Mary is the mother wherever Jesus is the mystical body. Cf Catechism of the Catholic Church (paragraph 973). You know that your bodies are parts of the body of Christ. 1 Corinthians 6:15. We belong to the body of Christ as he is the head of the body, the church. If we agree to the fact that Mary gave birth to Jesus the head of the church, why then shall we doubt the fact that she gave birth to us also his members who are the Church.
The memorial of Mary Mother of the Church, is celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost. On Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the birthday of the Church, and on the memorial of Mary Mother of the Church, Catholics celebrate the fact that Mary, as the mother of Our Lord is intrinsically linked to the Church as her mother.
This memorial was announced by Pope Francis on March 3rd, 2018. It is significant that the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary, Mother of God, was entrusted to the church in the person of Saint John the apostle at the foot of the cross. From the cross, the church was conceived by the outpouring of grace that flowed from Jesus’ sacred heart. At Pentecost as the Church was born.
Today, the Mother of the church reigns in heaven next to her son; from there, she continues to nurture the church as a loving mother. She not only intercedes for us but also mediated her son’s saving grace and mother of all. (mycatholiclife.com.)
By Sr. Bridget Kator, SMMC
