May 25, 2026
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 said 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 said 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 said
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 said
of you, O city of God!
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O joyful Virgin, who gave birth to
the Lord;
O blessed Mother of the Church,
who nurture in us 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.
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/052526.cfm
Commentary on
Genesis 3:9-15,20; John 19:25-34
The memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the
Church, was established as a new liturgical celebration by Pope Francis in
2018. This memorial takes place on the Monday after Pentecost, a feast that
symbolizes the birth of the church through the action of the Holy Spirit. Mary,
already recognized as giving birth to Christ our redeemer, is now recognized as
part of the events that give birth to the church. Mary is Mother of God, but
also Mother of the Church and their emphasis is not the same. The readings set
for this feast day present two images of giving life: one involves trickery
(Eve) and the other offers no deception concerning the risk involved (Mary).
Our first parents
The opening chapters of Genesis form a part of biblical literature referred to
as ‘creation stories’ or ‘origin stories’, sometimes shared in part with the
ancient cultures that surround the biblical narratives. Within this creation
setting, however, a curious interrogation takes place in the garden of Eden
between God and our first parents, Adam and Eve. The questioning in today’s
first reading is reminiscent of the body of biblical writing known as ‘wisdom
literature’. Biblical wisdom invites us to ask questions about the meaning of
existence and getting along with others in society. It provides an opportunity,
also, to pay attention to the answers, if any, that are provided.
In the First Reading, God comes back to bask in his own
creation, except our first parents are nowhere to be found. Three questions are
presented to the man and one directed to the woman, all of which follow after
both had eaten of the tree:
- Where
are you?
- Who
told you that you were naked?
- Have
you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?
- What
is this that you have done?
The last question to the woman is striking, but not more
than her quick-witted response and its simplicity.
The serpent tricked me, and I ate.
Her response is more profound than a surface reading allows.
She is somewhat challenging God with God’s own creation. What sort of plan is
this anyway? What kind of experiment is taking place in this so-called
paradise? The role of the serpent is to be the most cunning of all wild
creatures and it is placed in the garden with our first parents by God’s hand.
There is little surprise that the woman and man are tricked by the most cunning
of all wild animals.
Nonetheless, the first humans are disobedient. They fall for
the deception. A part of this creation story makes us contemplate the origin of
deception (sin) and the difference between what it means to be a human person
made in the image and likeness of God, and a wild creature like the serpent. It
is not the same. The passage ends with a description of Eve as mother of all
the living.
The Place of Mary
If one were to consider Mary’s theological place within the feast day of the
Immaculate Conception, for example, you would be encouraged to contemplate Mary
as the new Eve who crushes the serpent’s head. Mary, without sin, is able to
aid the faithful in battle against the cunning forces of evil. Luke’s Gospel
leads the reader in that direction:
Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you. (Luke
1:28)
But today’s feast day places Mary in a unique role as symbol
and mother of the church. The Gospel is not from Luke, but rather from the
Gospel of John, with Mary and the other women at the foot of Jesus’ cross. This
is an entirely distinctive image. What is consoling is to notice how involved
are all these female figures in today’s readings. There is no passivity, but
instead an active willingness to participate in the passion and cooperate with
God’s plan of salvation. Mary, in today’s scene, is at the heart of salvation
by standing with her son at the foot of the cross, a scene that only the Gospel
of John introduces. What’s more, she takes on the role of mother to the beloved
disciple and perhaps for all disciples after Jesus’ death:
He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he
said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple
took her into his own home.
If Eve becomes the mother of all the living, in spite of the
trickery and deception involved in her fall along with her partner Adam, then
Mary becomes the mother of all the Church, those living a new life marked by
the death and resurrection of her Son. The birth of the Church, however, does
not come about unscathed by the realities of chaos, evil, and suffering. Mary,
though she is without sin in Christian tradition, faces all the suffering that
humanity presents in every age. She goes to the cross and consoles all
disciples afterwards who will have to confront places where sin and death
impose themselves. Like the beloved disciple, we can take Mary into our own
home and contemplate God’s plan of salvation, not as orphans, but as people
with a mother in faith.
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https://livingspace.sacredspace.ie/mary-mother-of-the-church/
Monday,
May 25, 2026
The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of
the Church
Opening Prayer
Father, keep before us the wisdom
and love you have revealed in your Son.
Help us to be like Him in word and deed, for He lives and
reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel Reading – John 19:25-34
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
•
Jn 19: 25-29: Mary, the strong woman who understood the
full meaning of this event, will help us cast a contemplative glance at the
crucified. The fourth Gospel specifies that these disciples "stood by the
cross" (Jn 19: 25-26). This detail has a deep meaning. Only the fourth
Gospel tells us that these five people stood by the cross. The other
Evangelists do not say so. Luke, for instance, says that all those who knew him
followed the events from a distance (Lk 23: 49). Matthew also says that many
women followed these events from afar. These women had followed Jesus from
Galilee and served Him. But now they followed Him from afar (Mt 27: 55-56).
Like Matthew, Mark gives us the names of those who followed the death of Jesus
from afar (Mk 15: 40-41). Thus only the fourth Gospel says that the mother of
Jesus and the other women and the beloved disciple "stood by the
cross". They stood there like servants before their king.
•
Jn 19: 30-34: They are present courageously at a time when
Jesus has already declared that "it is fulfilled" (Jn 19: 30). The
mother of Jesus is present at the hour that finally "has come". That
hour was foretold at the wedding feast of Cana (Jn 2: 1ff). The fourth Gospel
had remarked then that "the mother of Jesus was there" (Jn 2: 1).
Thus, the person that remains faithful to the Lord in His destiny, he/she is a
beloved disciple. The Evangelist keeps this disciple anonymous so that each one
of us may see him/herself mirrored in the one who knew the mysteries of the
Lord, who laid his head on Jesus' chest at the last supper (Jn 13: 25). The
mother standing beneath the cross (cf. Jn 19: 25), 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 life eternal.
•
Jesus takes an active part in His death,
He does not allow Himself to be killed like the thieves whose legs were broken
(Jn 19: 31-33), but commits His spirit (Jn 19: 30). The details recalled by the
Evangelist are very important: Seeing His mother and the disciple whom He loved
standing near her, Jesus said to His mother, “Woman, this is your son.” Then to
the disciple He said, “This is your mother.” (Jn 19: 26-27). These simple words
of Jesus bear the weight of revelation, words that reveal to us His will:
"this is your son" (v. 26); "this is your mother" (v. 27).
These words also recall those pronounced by Pilate on the Lithostrotos:
"This is the man" (Jn 19: 5). With these words, Jesus on the cross,
his throne, reveals His will and His love for us. He is the lamb of God, the
shepherd who gives His life for His sheep. At that moment, by the cross, He
gives birth to the Church, represented by Mary, Mary of Cleophas and Mary
Magdalene, together with the beloved disciple (Jn 19: 25).
Personal Questions
•
How has Mary given you a model for parenthood,
discipleship, and love? What of these have I applied in my own life?
•
Mary exemplified humility and obedience, yet she
also led (as at Cana). How do I lead others, in what ways, while also being
truly humble and obedient myself?
Concluding Prayer
The precepts of Yahweh are honest, joy for the
heart; the commandment of Yahweh is pure, light for the eyes. (Ps 19: 8)
