Mary, Mother of the Church
In this episode, we explore the significance of the Blessed Virgin Mary, particularly during the month of May, which is dedicated to her in the Catholic Church. Positioned between the feasts of Easter and Pentecost, the episode highlights the upcoming feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, celebrated on the Monday following Pentecost. This feast commemorates Mary's role as the mother of the church, a title she received at the foot of the cross when she accepted her son's testament of love and embraced all humanity as her children.
Episode Transcript
In the Catholic church, we dedicate the entire month of May to the Mlessed Virgin Mary. And this time of year, we're always we always find ourselves in the middle of the two great feasts of Easter and Pentecost. And, you know, right after Pentecost arrives in the not too distant future, we're going to be focused on a feast called Mary, mother of the church. In fact, in the decree that established this celebration, it occurs on the Monday after the feast of Pentecost, that decree states that Mary, when standing at the foot of the cross, became the mother of the church when she accepted her son's testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto eternal life. And therefore, it's in Mary and her life of humble, obedient service that we discover the model of her own vocation to accept her son's testament of love.
From the very moment of Mary's response to the angel Gabriel through her assumption into heaven to sit in glory with her son, Mary demonstrated the importance of bringing Jesus to a suffering world, and the manner in which to do that. Whether it was her personal response to God, as at the Annunciation, or her intervention on behalf of others, as at the wedding feast at Cana, Mary demonstrated the essential virtues needed to be a faithful follower of her son, and to carry out our part in the unfolding of the story of salvation. It was Mary's humility which allowed her to abandon herself to god's will, and gave her the courage to follow God into an unknown future. And it was this trusting humility that gave her the strength to say yes under all circumstances of her life. Mary committed herself to following the will of God and to bring his son into the world so that we all might be the adopted children and co heirs to the glory of the resurrection.
But at no time in her life can we think that she fully understood all that this entailed. She, like us, wondered about a divine plan which would include great pain, bewilderment, and sorrow. It was, however, her humble obedience, her total and absolute reliance upon divine love, that gave her a never failing strength to be the first and greatest disciple of her son. Mary gave birth to Jesus at Bethlehem, but she continued to give birth to his presence in this world for the entirety of her life here on earth and in heaven as she invites each and every one of us to simply do whatever he tells you. Mary is our pattern, our model of true discipleship.
It is she who teaches us to listen humbly and to act boldly upon the invitation of God with the absolute conviction that we too are called to bring Jesus to a suffering world through lives of humble obedience to God's will. This is the Catholic Frequency Podcast. Be sure to sign up for our free newsletter on our website, catholicfrequency.com.