Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of the Church
Lectionary: 572A
Lectionary: 572A
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.”
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.
“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.
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.
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
Psalm87:1-2, 3 AND 5, 6-7
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.
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.
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.
GospelJN 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.
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.
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.
Meditation: Woman,
behold, your son! Disciple, behold, your mother!
Why
was it necessary for the Son of God to be born of a virgin mother - only to
suffer rejection, betrayal, and cruel death on a cross? God's love knows no
bounds. He created the human race in love for love - to be united with him and
with one another in a bond of unbreakable love, peace, and friendship. True
love risks all and gives all for the beloved. With the gift of love and
fruit-bearing life God also gave freedom and responsibility - freedom to choose
for good or for evil, for community or for division, for peace or for strife,
for life or for death.
God's gift of love - broken by sin and rebellion
Adam and Eve, the man and woman God created to be the beginning of a people who were made in the image and likeness of God, received everything they needed for life, happiness, and friendship with God. God provided a dwelling place specially made for them - a Garden of Paradise (also called Eden in Genesis 22:8) which was full of the fruit of his creation. God took great delight in his son Adam and Eve his wife - he walked with them daily in the garden so they could grow in the knowledge of his great love and wisdom.
God allowed the tempter, whom Scripture calls the devil and Satan, the father of lies, to test them so they could freely choose whom they would serve and obey. Satan tricked them into believing that they could be all powerful and wise, like God, on their own terms and conditions, according to their own desires and preferences (Genesis 3:4-6). Like Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God, Adam and Eve thought they could be equal with God and chart their own course for happiness and life together. They choose to believe Satan's word over God's word - a choice that opened the door to sin, rebellion, and separation from God.
Their fall resulted in a grievous wound which only God could heal and restore to wholeness. God in his merciful love and wise judgment, disciplined them for their own good, to lead them to repentance, purification, and restoration of friendship with God. God did not leave them in sin and darkness - he promised to send them a Redeemer who would restore them and their descendants to fullness of life with God.
The promised Redeemer who comes to restore our fallen humanity
How did God fulfill his promise to restore a broken and fallen humanity? The prophet Isaiah foretold that God himself would send his people a Redeemer, born of a virgin mother from the house of David (Isaiah 7:14), who would willingly undergo affliction and chastisement to the point of shedding his blood to make atonement for their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12, and Isaiah 50:4-8; 52:13-15).
God's gift of love - broken by sin and rebellion
Adam and Eve, the man and woman God created to be the beginning of a people who were made in the image and likeness of God, received everything they needed for life, happiness, and friendship with God. God provided a dwelling place specially made for them - a Garden of Paradise (also called Eden in Genesis 22:8) which was full of the fruit of his creation. God took great delight in his son Adam and Eve his wife - he walked with them daily in the garden so they could grow in the knowledge of his great love and wisdom.
God allowed the tempter, whom Scripture calls the devil and Satan, the father of lies, to test them so they could freely choose whom they would serve and obey. Satan tricked them into believing that they could be all powerful and wise, like God, on their own terms and conditions, according to their own desires and preferences (Genesis 3:4-6). Like Satan and the fallen angels who rebelled against God, Adam and Eve thought they could be equal with God and chart their own course for happiness and life together. They choose to believe Satan's word over God's word - a choice that opened the door to sin, rebellion, and separation from God.
Their fall resulted in a grievous wound which only God could heal and restore to wholeness. God in his merciful love and wise judgment, disciplined them for their own good, to lead them to repentance, purification, and restoration of friendship with God. God did not leave them in sin and darkness - he promised to send them a Redeemer who would restore them and their descendants to fullness of life with God.
The promised Redeemer who comes to restore our fallen humanity
How did God fulfill his promise to restore a broken and fallen humanity? The prophet Isaiah foretold that God himself would send his people a Redeemer, born of a virgin mother from the house of David (Isaiah 7:14), who would willingly undergo affliction and chastisement to the point of shedding his blood to make atonement for their sins (Isaiah 53:1-12, and Isaiah 50:4-8; 52:13-15).
In
the wonderous cross of Christ, who shed his blood for our sins, we see God's
unfolding plan of restoration for the human race. Through his obedience to the
Father's will and the willing sacrifice of his own life for our sake, he
reversed the curse of our first parents' sin and won for us pardon and abundant
life. John tells us in his Gospel account that "God so loved the world
that he gave us his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not
perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). God the Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, humbled himself by taking on human flesh in the womb of the
virgin Mary, so he could become one with us in our humanity and offer himself
as the perfect sacrifice for our sins and the sin of he world.
Christ
is the new Adam - who creates a new humanity through his cross and resurrection
Paul the Apostle tells us that Jesus Christ is the new Adam who begets a new humanity and a new creation (Romans 5:12-18, 2 Corinthians 15:7) through his victory on the cross and his resurrection. That is why Jesus explained to Nicodemus that we must be born anew (John 3:3) - of water and the Spirit (John 3:5,8).
Woman, behold, your son! Disciple, behold, your mother!
As Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary, he looked down and saw his mother and John the beloved disciple standing at the foot of the cross. Jesus said, "Woman, behold your son," and then to John he said, "behold, your mother" (John 19:26-27). John takes Mary as his spiritual mother, and Mary takes John as her spiritual son.
Why did Jesus address Mary as "Woman" rather than "mother" (see also Jesus addressing Mary as "Woman" in John 2:4). Jesus may be alluding to the beginning of creation in Genesis when Adam addressed Eve first as Woman, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Genesis 2:23). Adam later called her "Eve" because she became the "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20).
Paul the Apostle tells us that Jesus Christ is the new Adam who begets a new humanity and a new creation (Romans 5:12-18, 2 Corinthians 15:7) through his victory on the cross and his resurrection. That is why Jesus explained to Nicodemus that we must be born anew (John 3:3) - of water and the Spirit (John 3:5,8).
Woman, behold, your son! Disciple, behold, your mother!
As Jesus hung on the cross at Calvary, he looked down and saw his mother and John the beloved disciple standing at the foot of the cross. Jesus said, "Woman, behold your son," and then to John he said, "behold, your mother" (John 19:26-27). John takes Mary as his spiritual mother, and Mary takes John as her spiritual son.
Why did Jesus address Mary as "Woman" rather than "mother" (see also Jesus addressing Mary as "Woman" in John 2:4). Jesus may be alluding to the beginning of creation in Genesis when Adam addressed Eve first as Woman, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man" (Genesis 2:23). Adam later called her "Eve" because she became the "mother of all living" (Genesis 3:20).
Mary's
mission is inseparably linked with the mission of her Son, the Lord Jesus
Mary's mission as the bearer of the Son of God (theo-tokos which means God-bearer in Greek) is inseparably linked with the mission of her Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit Mary becomes the first disciple and a spiritual mother of a new humanity who are born again through her son, the Lord Jesus.
To become the mother of the Savior, Mary was enriched by God with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable her to assume this awesome role. A number of early church fathers saw Mary as a new Eve who cooperated with her Son's mission through her faith and devotion to God's word, and her prompt "yes" to God's will.
Irenaeus, an early second century bishop of Lyons (130-200 AD), described Mary's role in the service of her Son's mission:
Mary's mission as the bearer of the Son of God (theo-tokos which means God-bearer in Greek) is inseparably linked with the mission of her Son the Lord Jesus Christ. Through the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit Mary becomes the first disciple and a spiritual mother of a new humanity who are born again through her son, the Lord Jesus.
To become the mother of the Savior, Mary was enriched by God with the gifts of the Holy Spirit to enable her to assume this awesome role. A number of early church fathers saw Mary as a new Eve who cooperated with her Son's mission through her faith and devotion to God's word, and her prompt "yes" to God's will.
Irenaeus, an early second century bishop of Lyons (130-200 AD), described Mary's role in the service of her Son's mission:
"The
Lord, coming into his own creation in visible form, was sustained by his own
creation which he himself sustains in being. His obedience on the tree of the cross
reversed the disobedience at the tree in Eden; the good news of the truth
announced by an angel to Mary, a virgin subject to a husband, undid the evil
lie that seduced Eve, a virgin espoused to a husband...
As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve...
The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith"
(quotes from Against Heresies (Lib. 5, 19, 1; 20, 2; 21,1: SC 153, 248-250. 260-264)
As Eve was seduced by the word of an angel and so fled from God after disobeying his word, Mary in her turn was given the good news by the word of an angel, and bore God in obedience to his word. As Eve was seduced into disobedience to God, so Mary was persuaded into obedience to God; thus the Virgin Mary became the advocate of the virgin Eve...
The knot of Eve's disobedience was untied by Mary's obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith"
(quotes from Against Heresies (Lib. 5, 19, 1; 20, 2; 21,1: SC 153, 248-250. 260-264)
Throughout
her life Mary remained steadfast and faithful to the call and mission God
entrusted to her, as the mother of the Son of God who took flesh in her womb.
She is the first Christian disciple because she accepted the Gospel and gave
her "yes" to God's plan of redemption. She followed her son to the
cross and she prayed for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all the
disciples at Pentecost. She is a model for us of faith and obedience,
hope and perseverance, and love and fidelity. Are you ready to take up your
cross and follow the Lord Jesus in his way of love and sacrifice?
God
gives us the grace to say "yes" to his will and to his transforming
work in our lives
What is the key that unlocks the power of God's kingdom and his abundant life in our personal lives? Faith is the free gift of God for all who accept his Son as Lord and Redeemer. Our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus opens the door to all the promises of God who find their fulfillment in Christ. God gives us all the grace and strength we need and he expects us to respond with the same willing obedience and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?
What is the key that unlocks the power of God's kingdom and his abundant life in our personal lives? Faith is the free gift of God for all who accept his Son as Lord and Redeemer. Our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus opens the door to all the promises of God who find their fulfillment in Christ. God gives us all the grace and strength we need and he expects us to respond with the same willing obedience and heart-felt trust as Mary did. When God commands he also gives the strength, and means to respond. We can either yield to his grace or resist and go our own way. Do you believe in God's promises and do you yield to his grace?
"Heavenly
Father, you offer us abundant grace, mercy, and forgiveness through your Son,
Our Lord Jesus Christ. Help me to live a grace-filled life as Mary did by
believing in your promises and by giving you my unqualified "yes" to
your will and your plan for my life."
Daily
Quote from the early church fathers: God borrows Mary's flesh to lead
humanity to glory, by an anonymous early author from the Greek church
"The
virgin mother, when wine was lacking, wanted Jesus to do a miracle. She was at
once answered, 'Woman, what have I to do with you?' as if to say plainly, The
fact that I can do a miracle comes to me from my Father, not my mother. For it
was from the nature of his Father that he could do miracles but from the nature
of his mother that he could die. When he was on the cross, then, in dying he
acknowledged his mother whom he commended to the disciple, saying, 'Behold your
mother.' And so, when he says, 'Woman, what have I to do with you? My hour is
not yet come" (John 2:4). he is in effect saying, In the miracle, which I
did not from your nature, I do not acknowledge you. When the hour of death
shall come, however, I shall acknowledge you as my mother, since it is from you
that I can die." (excerpt from LETTER 10.39.27)
ORDINARY TIME is called
"ordinary" because the weeks are numbered. The Latin word ordinalis,
which refers to numbers in a series, stems from the Latin word ordo,
from which we get the English word order. Thus, Ordinary Time is in fact the
ordered life of the Church—the period in which we live our lives neither in
feasting (as in the Christmas and Easter seasons) or in more severe penance (as
in Advent and Lent), but in watchfulness and expectation of the Second Coming
of Christ. There are two times we are in Ordinary Time. There are 28 weeks of
Ordinary Time after Easter and 5 weeks of Ordinary Time after Christmas.
However, this varies depending upon when Easter falls in a particular year. The
actual number of weeks of Ordinary Time in any given year can total 33 or
34.
MONDAY, JUNE 1, JOHN 19:25-34
Memorial of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
(Genesis 3:9-15, 20; or Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 87)
Memorial of The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
(Genesis 3:9-15, 20; or Acts 1:12-14; Psalm 87)
KEY VERSE: "Woman, behold your son" (v.26).
TO KNOW: For the second time in John's gospel Jesus addressed his mother as "woman" (see Wedding at Cana, John 2:4). This unusual title goes back to the first promise of redemption to Eve: "I will put enmity between you (Satan) and the woman" (Gn 3:15). John sees Mary as the "new Eve" whose obedience to God reversed the penalty of death due to sin, and her son as the "new Adam" who opened wide the gates of salvation by his saving death. On Calvary, Satan was crushed through the death of Mary's offspring. When Jesus gave his life for us, he also gave us his mother. Mary stood at the cross with John, the beloved disciple, who represents all Christians who seek salvation in Christ. Simeon's prophecy that Mary would "be pierced with a sword so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare" (Lk 2:35) was fulfilled on Calvary. She was the suffering Mother of the Church that was about to be born. Mary is the role-model for all believers. Imitating her dispositions for humility, faithfulness, and praise equip all Christians for full ministry in the Church.
TO LOVE: Have I made a home in my heart for Mary?
TO SERVE: Mary my mother, help us to be dutiful sons and daughters of the Church.
NOTE: In 2018. Pope Francis decreed that the ancient devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of 'Mother of the Church,' be inserted into the Roman calendar as a Memorial on the day after Pentecost. Pope Pius XII perceptively noted Mary’s dual maternity in his encyclical on the Church: “It was she who was there to tend the mystical body of Christ, born of the Savior’s pierced heart, with the same motherly care that she spent on the child Jesus in the crib.” In the words of Saint Augustine: “What (God) has bestowed on Mary in the flesh, He has bestowed on the Church in the spirit; Mary gave birth to the One, and the Church gives birth to the many, who through the One become one.”
Monday 1 June 2020
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
2 Peter 1:2-7. In you, my God, I place my trust – Psalm
90(91):1-2, 14-16. Mark 12:1-12.
‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone’
People can be resistant to uncomfortable messages, particularly
if these seem to threaten prosperity. Australia has been burning for months.
Fires have raged as never before. Yet political leaders refuse to acknowledge
the reality of climate change. They will not listen to scientists or to fire
chiefs.
Into this vacuum have stepped the young people of today. They
rally and call for action to address the greatest threat ever to face our
world. Greta Thunberg addressed the United Nations assembly and speaks out
across Europe. Other young leaders walk in her footsteps. Their generation and
those that follow will bear the cost of our inactivity. They will not be
silent.
Pope Francis declares a climate emergency and urges immediate
action.
We can contact politicians and make climate action a condition
of our electoral support. We can reduce, re-use and recycle.
Saint Justin Martyr
Saint of the Day for June 1
(c. 100 – 165)
 |
| Mosaics in Mount of Beatitudes | photo by Deror avi |
Saint Justin Martyr’s Story
Justin never ended his quest for religious truth even when he
converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies.
As a young man, he was principally attracted to the school of
Plato. However, he found that the Christian religion answered the great
questions about life and existence better than the philosophers.
Upon his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher’s
mantle, and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian
religion with the best elements in Greek philosophy. In his view, philosophy
was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ.
Justin is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the
Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two
of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the
Roman emperor and to the Senate.
For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, Justin was
beheaded in Rome in 165.
Reflection
As patron of philosophers, Justin may inspire us to use our
natural powers—especially our power to know and understand—in the service of
Christ, and to build up the Christian life within us. Since we are prone to
error, especially in reference to the deep questions concerning life and
existence, we should also be willing to correct and check our natural thinking
in light of religious truth. Thus we will be able to say with the learned
saints of the Church: I believe in order to understand, and I understand in
order to believe.
Lectio
Divina: Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Lectio Divina
Monday, June 1, 2020
Ordinary Time
1) 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.
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.
2) 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.
3) 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).
4) 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?
• 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?
5) 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)
joy for the heart;
the commandment of Yahweh is pure,
light for the eyes. (Ps 19:8)
