THE WORD BECAME FLESH

Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary time, 2023

Acts 1:1:12-14

Ps 87

John 19:25-34

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church 

Behold your Mother

This newly introduced memorial of our Lady is to be celebrated on the Monday after the Feast of Pentecost. 

The first reading (Acts 1:1:12-14) gives us the picture of Jesus’ disciples gathered with certain women, including Mary, the Mother of Jesus, as well as with Jesus’ brothers. They were constantly devoting themselves to prayer in preparation for the gift of the Holy Spirit that the risen Lord had promised. Although Mary is described as the ‘Mother of Jesus’, it is easy to imagine her maternal role embracing Jesus’ disciples, whom he had earlier addressed in the gospel as his brothers and sisters. The community of disciples down the ages, the church, has continued to look to Mary as their mother. 

Her prayerful communion with Jesus’ disciples in that first reading finds an echo in the prayer that has come to be associated with Mary, the ‘Hail Mary’, in which we ask Mary to pray for us, sinful disciples of Jesus, now and at the hour of our death. Luke’s portrait of a community of believers at prayer with Mary at its heart is complemented by John’s portrait in the gospel reading (Jn 19:25-34) of a community of believers at the foot of the cross with Mary at its heart. Mary is there with three other women and the male disciple who is referred to only as the disciple Jesus loved. In the fourth gospel, this nameless disciple represents all disciples. We are each invited to give him our name. In saying to this disciple from the cross, ‘This is your mother’, Jesus is addressing disciples of every generation. When Jesus says to Mary, ‘This is your son’, she is being called to relate to this disciple and all those he represents as she has related to Jesus. 

The disciple Jesus loves becomes the brother of Jesus, and all those disciples whom he represents become Jesus’ brothers and sisters. At the foot of the cross, a new community is being formed that can look to Jesus as a brother, to his Father as their Father, and his Mother as their Mother. As the beloved disciple took Mary into his home, we are all invited to take Mary into our lives as Mother and friend. On this memorial, we give thanks to the Lord for sharing with us this precious gift of his mother.

Let us pray: Jesus, may I quench Your thirst by fulfilling Your wish to receive Your Mother as my Mother. Amen.

+Remain blessed!