Today we celebrate the feast of Mary, the Mother of the Church. It is a Marian feast added to the liturgical calendar by Pope Francis in 2018. Yesterday, on Pentecost Sunday we celebrated the birth of the church empowered by the holy Spirit. Each of us, through our baptism and confirmation, has been filled with the holy Spirit. Mary has a special relationship to the church as is brought out in today’s Gospel.
Jesus sees his mother Mary and the beloved disciples standing at the foot of the cross. Jesus says to Mary, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then Jesus says to the beloved disciple, “Behold, your mother.” This beloved disciple is a real historical disciple but also symbolized what the church is or what the church is called to be. This disciple was “was reclining at Jesus’ side” when Jesus declared that one of his disciples would betray him (John 13:23). The Evangelist uses a similar expression to describe Jesus’ relationship to the Father: “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.” (John 1:18). We as beloved disciples are called to be close to Jesus, to recline at his side just as Jesus reclines at the side of God the Father. This closeness to Jesus is what it means to be a true disciple, to be church.
Mary, the Mother of the Church shows us the way to be a true disciple in her response to the angel Gabriel: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:37). As a disciple she may not always understand the word or will of God but she allows herself to be surprised and even overwhelmed by God’s mighty acts in her life: “But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Today let us follow the example of Mary. Let us allow God to surprise us and even overwhelm us. Like Mary, let us respond in faith: “I am the servant of the Lord, be it done unto me according to your word.”