Mary, Mother of the Church

I was out in front of the house the other day checking out the flowers and I thought there was some dirt on our Mary statue.  When I looked closer I realized it was just that old serpent at her feet.

Today we celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, a feast held every year the day after Pentecost.

If you didn’t realize this, don’t be alarmed.  Pope Francis, in 2018 decreed it be put on our Roman Calendar to highlight the special role of Mary. 

Think about it; it makes total sense.  Mary brought Jesus into physical being by his natural birth.  On Pentecost, we celebrate what is known as the “birthday of the church.”  The two are closely connected.

“The Vatican prelates in the decree recalled that ‘as a caring guide to the emerging Church Mary had already begun her mission in the Upper Room, praying with the Apostles while awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit.’”

The decree quotes St. Augustine,

“Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church.”

It also quotes St. Leo the Great:

“the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body, thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.”

We could call today Mother’s Day since all Christians are able to look to Mary with honor.  While some may debate the degree of honor she should be given or if she was immaculately conceived (she was), the bottom line is, she gave birth to the savior of the world, and at the foot of the cross, Jesus gave her to us as our Mother. (John 19:27)

According to the following article, the reality is, if you believe that Jesus is God and Mary gave birth to him, then that makes her the Mother of God!

Please go to What the Early Church Believed: Mary is the Mother of God.

I think it always helps to go back as close as we can to the time of Christ and see what they were thinking and what they understood.  This article on the early church provides the mindset of some of the early church Fathers.

If you didn’t have any birthday cake yesterday for Pentecost, go ahead and enjoy it today as we celebrate our Mother!

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net