Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. On New Year's Day 2018, Pope Francis announced this new memorial will occur every year on the Monday after Pentecost. Thus, we find ourselves the beneficiaries of a brand new feast to celebrate another of the many dimensions of our Blessed Mother.
In his address on New Year's Day, the Holy Father made special mention of the most important attributes of Our Lady. In fact, he referred to them as 'Mary's secret'. The 'secret' is illustrated in the reading from Acts which speaks of Mary in the upper room with the Apostles. Francis points out she is already fulfilling her role as Mother to the Church, the Apostles, and all believers as they wait for the descent of the Holy Spirit. In today's passage from John's Gospel, as Mary is standing at the foot of the Cross with John, Jesus entrusts Mary and John to one another's care as mother and son. So what precisely is 'Mary's secret'?
Mary's silence and her open heart are what Pope Francis points to as Mary's 'secret'. It is our imitation of this—Mary's basic disposition—that leads to personal and communal consent to God's will. And what is God's will? The Holy Father says, "Mary is exactly what God wants us to be, what he wants his Church to be: A Mother who is tender and lowly, poor in material goods and rich in love, free of sin and united to Jesus, keeping God in our hearts and our neighbors in our lives."
Today, may our lives be a reflection of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. May we begin our day with our hearts open, pondering in deep gratitude, God's eternal gift of Mary. And may the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us.
-Gail Lyman