Word to the Wise
Monday, June 6, 2022 -
[Genesis 3:9-15, 20 or Acts 1:12-14 and John 19:25-34]Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 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. [John]
Although the title, "Mother of the Church," for Mary the mother of Jesus was given by St. Ambrose back in the 4th century, it was Pope Paul VI who proclaimed it during the Second Vatican Council in 1964. A few places instituted the title as a feast day (Memorial) and it appeared on some local and national calendars. Finally Pope Francis put it on the universal calendar.
The emphasis is on Mary's maternal care for the universal church. The alternative second scripture for this day is one that was heard yesterday - the Pentecost account in the Acts of the Apostles - in which Mary is noted to be present at what is traditionally called the "birth of the Church." The gospel scripture for today is the touching scene in the passion account in the Gospel According to John in which Mary and the Disciple whom Jesus loved are mutually given to each other by Jesus. The theological reasoning is that if the Church is the Body of Christ [cf. Ephesians 1:23], and Mary is the Mother of Christ, then she is rightly the "Mother of the Church."
This feast may sound familiar because of the title given to Mary on January 1st - "Mary the Mother of God." But here the emphasis is on us, the People of God, the Body of Christ. The traditional marian prayer, the "Memorare," captures the sentiment well: "Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided...." AMEN