Breaking the Word

Monday after Pentecost, Mary, Mother of the Church – 29^th May 2023 – Genesis 3,9-15.20 or Acts 1,12-14; Jn 19,25-34

Model of Faith and Worship

On March 3, 2018 Pope Francis approved and announced that the Monday after Pentecost as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church. Through Scripture and tradition, we see clearly how Mary has been “Mother of the Church.” She has been an excellent role model to be a loving mother, a devoted woman of faith, a disciple of Jesus and a servant to others. The title “Mary, Mother of the Church” is directly linked to Mary, Mother of God. Christ is described as the Head of the Church and followers are described as the Body of the Church. As Mary is the Mother of Christ, and Christ is the head of the Church, then Mary is the Mother of the Church.

In the Acts of the Apostles, Mary was there as a member of the first assembly of believers, participating in worship and prayer along with others.  There were men and women, apostles and ordinary people, and even members of the Lord’s earthly family. However, it seems appropriate that Mary has been seen as the person to whom the early church looked in proclaiming the Good News of Jesus after his ascension into heaven. Mary is with the eleven before the choice of Matthias and also before Pentecost. The presence of Mary with the disciples whom Jesus left behind is an indication that she was an integral part of the ministry of Jesus. “By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity” (CCC 967).  As mother of Jesus, she is also the mother also of the disciples and all others who believe in Jesus.

7^th week in Easter Time, Saturday – 27^th May 2023 — Gospel: Jn 21,20-25

Becoming Heart and Centre

The first reading presents the last part of Paul’s ministry, the last two years of his life, under house arrest in Rome. After hard struggle, i.e., storm, shipwreck and eventful long sea journey Paul and other prisoners reached Rome through Appian way. In Rome, Paul addressed the Jewish community about his being more faithful to the God of Jews than earlier in his life as persecutor. He asked his listeners to see Jesus as the hope of Israel. Until now, the book of the Acts of the Apostles presented to us the general picture of the extraordinary developments of the Church from a small group of uneducated fishermen to a chain of communities formed and built up systematically by zealous preachers. From being a tiny movement in Jerusalem the Church spread progressively to the surrounding territories and then on to Macedonia and Greece and ultimately to the heart of the empire and the centre of the world – Rome. Thus, the Gospel was being preached freely in the very heart of the Roman Empire. This would be the new centre from where the building up of God’s kingdom would become a reality over the centuries and expand to every corner of the world. There are many more triumphs and tragedies for the fledgling church. But to have reached Rome in such a short time was little short of miraculous.