Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Standing by the cross of Jesus was his mother … When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son. Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
The Church today offers us, her children, to enter a meditation on the woman called to accompany us in history. Only a few years ago now, Pope Francis ordered that this Monday after Pentecost be celebrated as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. He wanted to “encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian piety.” This was to help us to remember that “growth in the Christian life must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet and to the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.”
We are that Church, standing with our Mother at the foot of the cross—Christ’s, our own, and that of countless individuals. We gaze in awe and with heartfelt petition, to our God who means to transform us, along with Jesus and Mary, by courting our yes!
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections