Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
May 24, 2021
Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Lectionary: 572A
Reading I
After Adam had eaten of the tree,
the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
but I was afraid, because I was naked,
so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
“Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”
Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
from all the animals
and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
and dirt shall you eat
all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
because she became the mother of all the living.
OR:
Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
a sabbath day’s journey away.
When they entered the city
they went to the upper room where they were staying,
Peter and John and James and Andrew,
Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
together with some women,
and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
“One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
is the Most High LORD.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
“This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
“My home is within you.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed mother of the Church,
you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
Reflection: THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH
Often, we wonder as to when the first community of the Church began. The timeline of the New Testament presents us with the formation of the early Christian communities with the missions of the apostles. Some scripture scholars argue that the first community of the Church began at the foot of the Cross. In today's gospel, we recall the most heart-wrenching episode in the Passion of Jesus. Hanging from the Tree of Salvation, Jesus initiates the very birth of the Church with Mary his mother, her sister, Mary Magdalene and John, the beloved disciple. In this stunning encounter we see the exchange of roles and responsibilities for the Church in mission. On a more foundational level, this encounter touches on the fundamental human relationships. Recall a time when you had to assume a new role, the time, or the event when the baton is passed on to you to lead. There would have been a sense of expectation, an excitement built around those moments. Insofar those moments are essential, the role to be assumed cannot be undermined. The words of Jesus, 'Woman, here is your son,' and 'here is your mother,' encompass the fabric of the Church born through the water and the blood flowed from the side of Jesus. Despite the heaviness of seeing her Son Jesus dying on the Cross pierced her heart, Mary embraced John the beloved disciple as her son. The pain of losing his Master and Friend did not deter John in welcoming Mary into his home, which by an extension is the Church. Our faith defines us who we are only when we stick on to it in the most challenging times.