Readings: Genesis 3: 9-5, 20; Psalm 13; Jn 19:25-27 “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church”. Mary’s Motherhood of the Church, her spiritual offspring, is revealed at the foot of the Cross. There, where her divine Son, the Church’s head, suffers death, she takes John and with him, all of us as her children, when Jesus said: “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your Mother.” The memorial feast we celebrate today was added to the Roman Liturgical Calendar in 2018 by Pope Francis, which highlights the truth that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the Mother of the Person of Christ, but she is also the Mother of the Church and the Mother of all the faithful. The Blessed Virgin Mary is our mother. And as our mother, she is truly tender, compassionate, caring and merciful, bestowing upon us everything that a perfect mother desires to bestow. She is the sweetest of mothers who will stop at nothing to protect her children. She is the mother of all the children of God in the world. Today’s Gospel passage portrays our Blessed Mother standing at the foot of the Cross. She would have been no other place than directly beneath her Son as He endured His last agony. She did not flee in fear. She was not overwhelmed by grief. But she stood by her Son with the perfect love and strength of a devoted, caring, compassionate and faithful mother.
As she stood by her Son, Jesus turned to her and entrusted the Apostle John to her maternal care. From the early Church Fathers until the most recent teachings of the Church today, this act of entrusting John to Mary and Mary to John by Jesus has been understood as an assignment of all the faithful to the maternal care of Mother Mary. Mother Mary is, therefore, not only the Mother of the Redeemer, Christ Himself, she also becomes the Mother of all the redeemed, the mother of us all, the Mother of the Church. Today, we contemplate Mary as the Mother who watches over, her children, on our journey through life; she looks to us pilgrims with immense motherly love. Therefore, let us pray to her to intercede for us to Her Son, that Christ Jesus may shower every spiritual graces and blessings we need in this our earthly journey. Holy Mother of God, pray for us. Amen Blessings. Fr. Mussie