Monday after Pentecost 2025 - Mary Mother of the Church

 This morning we read again that passage from the Acts of the Apostles read yesterday on the Great Solemnity of Pentecost, how the apostles gathered in the Upper Room with a number of women and other members of the brethren and with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Tradition has found in this scene a sign of our Lady’s maternal role for the entire Church. Wishing to draw our attention to the importance of this relationship, Pope Francis, in 2018 instituted today’s memorial of Mary Mother of the Church to be celebrated the Monday after Pentecost.

A mother’s life is centered on her child right from the womb. She has the responsibility to watch over the gift God has given her. A newborn infant continues to have great need for her protection; and as the child grows up she helps him take his first steps in life. 

The Gospels show us some of the care our Lady lavished on Jesus. And in the Acts of the Apostles we see the same concern for the nascent Church, with Mary watching over the apostles and the first Christians. It was a time of “gestation,” amid persecutions and difficulties, when we especially needed her help. 

She was with the Church at the beginning, and following her Assumption, our Lady continues to be with the Church in every place and in every age until the Lord’s return. Mother Mary accompanies the pilgrim Church with a mother’s love and watches in kindness over the Church in our pilgrimage to our heavenly homeland.

Mother Mary assists us with her prayers, as she did the apostles, and she is the perfect model for us. Pope St. John Paul II, reflected on Our Lady’s Maternal Role in the Church in his Marian Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, writing, “in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church. In this sense Mary, Mother of the Church, is also the Church’s model.” 

Pope Francis taught “Our Lady wants to bring the great gift of Jesus to us, to us all; and with him she brings us his love, his peace, and his joy. In this, the Church is like Mary; she has to lead everyone to Christ and his Gospel.” This is the goal of the Church’s life and of that of each Christian: to bring the love of Jesus to all men and women. May Mother Mary always be with us with her aid in this great task for the glory of God and the salvation of souls.

- - - -  

United in prayer with Mary, the Mother of the Church, let us offer our prayers to the Father with confidence:

For the holy Church of God throughout the world, that through Mary’s maternal intercession, she may grow in holiness, unity, and zeal for the mission of Christ.

For all mothers, especially those who are struggling or suffering, that they may be strengthened by the example and prayers of Mary, Mother of the Church.

For our parish community, that under Mary’s guidance and protection, we may become more devoted to prayer, more generous in charity, and more faithful in spreading the Gospel.

That the poor and afflicted may always know the prayers and heavenly aid of the Blessed Mother and concrete acts of charity of the Church.

For the deceased members of our families, friends, and parish, and for all of the souls in purgatory that they may be welcomed into the eternal joy of heaven, especially…

Heavenly Father, you gave us the Blessed Virgin Mary to be our Mother in the order of grace. Through her loving intercession, strengthen your Church and guide us on our earthly pilgrimage until we reach our heavenly homeland. Through Christ our Lord.

Monday after Pentecost 2022 - Mary, Mother of the Church and the fruits of the Holy Spirit

 

Though Our Lady has been referred to as the mother of Christians and as the mother of the Church since ancient times, the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, celebrated on the monday following Pentecost Sunday, is the most recent addition to the liturgical calendar, instituted by Pope Francis in 2018 in his decree Beatae Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris.

The idea of Mary as Mother of Christians is found in the writings of St. Augustine, who explains that Mary is the mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperates in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church. St. Leo the Great, Pope just about a decade after the death of Augustine says that the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body. Mary is Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and also mother of the members of his Mystical Body, the Church. 

“Mother, behold your son” we hear in the Gospel for today’s memorial. Holy Father Pope Francis explains, “Indeed, 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. She thus became the tender Mother of the Church which Christ begot on the cross handing on the Spirit. Christ, in turn, in the beloved disciple, chose all disciples as ministers of his love towards his Mother, entrusting her to them so that they might welcome her with filial affection.”

“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 (as we heard in our first reading today).”

This connection with Pentecost is surely why the Holy Father placed this memorial on the Monday after Pentecost. Mother Mary prayed with the Apostles, teaching them to be open to the Holy Spirit, as she was at her annunciation, where the Holy Spirit overshadowed her, and through whom she conceived the Christ. 

When we pray, Mother Mary is always praying with us, she is praying for us, even before we have the inspiration to pray. She is praying that we may be open to the Holy Spirit’s gifts. She is praying that the fruits of the Holy Spirit may grow in us like the Christ-child grew in her holy womb: gentleness, patience, self-control, chastity, and joy. 

Let us honor her with this tender title, Mary, Mother of the Church, today and always, that all Christians may be open to the new life of the Holy Spirit, as the Apostles on Pentecost, for the mission of the Gospel, and have the strength to remain faithful to the commands of Christ as we carry our crosses, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -  

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Mary, Mother of the Church and Immaculate Heart: Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for the repose of the soul of Mr. Joseph Malesic, 104-year old father of Bishop Edward Malesic, who died this week for all the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

Monday after Pentecost 2021 - Mary, Mother of the Church

 The title “Mother of the Church” is not new. St. Ambrose, great Bishop of Milan who was instrumental in the conversion of St. Augustine called Mary, Mater Ecclesiae, “Mother of the Church.” 

Fifteen centuries later, the title was still in use when Pope Leo XIII wrote a beautiful document on Our Lady, titled Adjiutricem Populi, Helper of the people in which he invokes our Lady under this title.

 “The mightiest helper of the Christian people,” Pope Leo writes, “and the most merciful, is the Virgin Mother of God. How fitting it is to accord her honors ever increasing in splendor, and call upon her aid with a confidence daily growing more ardent. The abundant blessings, infinitely varied and constantly multiplying, which flow from her all over the whole world for the common benefit of mankind, add fresh motives for invoking and honoring her…She is invoked as Mother of the Church and the teacher and Queen of the Apostles".

So too, As the third session of the Second Vatican Council closed on November 21st, 1964, Pope Paul VI declared: "We declare Mary Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, of all the Christian people"  writing elsewhere, “We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ.”

Just in 2018, Holy Father Pope Francis instituted a new liturgical feast to be celebrated universally the Monday after Pentecost, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church. 

The day after we celebrate, the birthday of the Church, so to speak on Pentecost, we celebrate our Mother, who was present, praying for the apostles, as the Holy Spirit descended upon them.

As our Lady was instrumental in the Apostles receiving the new life of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, she is instrumental in all of our lives, praying that we may open our hearts, minds, souls, and lives to the life-giving Spirit of God. She prays that the Spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and good counsel, and fear of the Lord will flourish in us. She prays that we may bear the Spiritual Fruits of patience, courage, and joy.

Mary, Mother of the Church, Our Mother, prays constantly for us. As the Apostles devoted themselves to praying with Our Lady, their Mother, Our Mother, in the upper room, may we too, be devoted to prayer with her—prayer for openness to the full life of God’s Spirit—for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Body of Christ.

- - - - - - - 

Mary, Mother of the Church: Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Mary, Mother of the Church: Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Mary, Mother of the Church and Immaculate Heart: Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

Mary, Mother of the Church: That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory and for N.

We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.

June 1 2020 - Mary, Mother of the Church

Just in 2018, Holy Father Pope Francis instituted a new liturgical feast to be celebrated universally the Monday after Pentecost, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of the Church.

The day after we celebrate, the birthday of the Church, so to speak on Pentecost, we celebrate our Mother, who was present, praying for the apostles, as the Holy Spirit descended upon them.

Theologically, this title of Mary is not difficult to grasp. The members of the body of Christ are one with her head. She is the Mother of Christ the head of the Church, and so she must be the mother of all the members who are mystically united with Him. She is mother of both head and body, as all mothers are to their children.

Mary’s spiritual relationship to the members of the Church is evidenced in Our Lord’s proclamation from the cross. He gave Mary to be the Mother of all the disciples, when he said, “woman, behold your son.” And he commanded all of his disciples to love and honor her as a mother, when he said, “Behold, your mother.”

The title “Mother of the Church” is not new, but has been ascribed to Our Lady for centuries, recognizing Our Lady’s spiritual motherhood of all Christians, of all disciples, of all believers, of clergy and religious, married, single, and all the lay faithful.

As Mother prays constantly for her children from her place in heaven, as she did on Pentecost, as she no doubt did every day of her earthly life.

She no doubt prays that we may be open to all of those spiritual gifts we need, the gifts that God wants for us, for the spread of the Gospel and the building up of the Church. And I believe this is the deep reason Pope Francis placed this feast in proximity to Pentecost.

If we wish to be open to the gifts of the spirit and utilize-well the gifts of the Spirit, we need to honor and love Our Mother, for God chose her as an instrument of our redemption and sanctification. 

Today is a fitting day to offer a Rosary in Our Lady’s honor and to commit to cultivating our relationship with Our Blessed Mother daily, praying, through her, for the sanctification of the church, for the protection of the Church, and renewal of the Church especially in areas of the church that have grown stagnant, corrupt, fearful, or lifeless.

Pray for us, O holy mother of God, Mother of the Church, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls. 

- - - - - -

To the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, we recommend ourselves and the entire Church.

Guide and assist our Holy Father and our Bishops in their apostolic mission, and aid all who help them in their work.

Mother of the Church! Enlighten the People of God along the paths of faith, hope and love! You were given to us as a mother by your Divine Son at the moment of his redeeming death.

Remember us your children, support our prayers to God. Preserve our Faith, strengthen our Hope, increase our Charity.

Immaculate Heart! Help us to conquer the menace of evil, which so easily takes root in the hearts of the people of today.

From nuclear war, from incalculable self-destruction, and from every kind of war, deliver us. From sins against human life from its very beginning, deliver us. From every kind of injustice in the life of society, deliver us.
From readiness to trample on the commandments of God, deliver us. From attempts to stifle the very truth of God, deliver us. From the loss of awareness of good and evil deliver us. From sins against the Holy Spirit, deliver us.

That those who have died may share in the joy of life-everlasting; for our deceased family members, friends, and fellow parishioners, for all the poor souls in purgatory and for…Valentine & Sophie Reindle, for whom this Mass is offered.

September 15, 2017 - Our Lady of Sorrows - More Compassionate Hearts

The priest may choose between two different Gospel readings for this Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The first, which we heard today, from Luke’s Gospel: the words of Simeon to Our Blessed Mother. He foretells the great destiny of her son, while speaking of a future which will be filled with suffering—not just the Son’s suffering, but the mother’s as well: and your own heart a sword shall pierce.

Those who love Christ share his sufferings, and no one loved Jesus more than his mother. In earlier centuries, this feast was called “Our Lady of Compassion”—the word “Compassion” coming from the latin “to suffer with”. Our hearts stretch, we grow in compassion when we meditate on the sorrows of Mary, on the suffering of Jesus. Growing in compassion means stretching the heart to include greater awareness of the suffering of others.

The other Gospel we could have used was from the crucifixion in John’s Gospel: Jesus speaking to Our Lady and the beloved disciple from the cross—Our Lady standing at the foot of the cross. At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last.

Jesus tells the beloved disciple to take Mary as his mother, and in doing so, gives Mary as mother to all of his beloved disciples throughout the centuries. We are invited to share in our mother’s joy, in her wisdom, we are invited to know her maternal protection. But like any child who sees his mother weeping, we also share in her sorrows.

The founding pastor of our parish, Fr .Fitzgerald, had a great devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows, which is why her statue stands near the sanctuary.

It is sad to think of how many Christians do not know the motherhood of Mary, which I’m sure is one reason why our Mother weeps. When the grandkids or nieces and nephews come over to visit, pray the rosary with them, teach them of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, for the younger generations who do not know Mary are in danger of have stilted, colder hearts, as we all are when we fail to love Our Mother as we should.

Pope St. John Paul II wrote: “Turn your eyes incessantly to the Blessed Virgin; she, who is the Mother of Sorrows and also the Mother of Consolation, can understand you completely and help you. Looking to her, praying to her, you will obtain that your tedium will become serenity, your anguish change into hope, and your grief into love.”

During the remainder of the day, let us reflect upon the sufferings of the Mother of God. May the tears of Mary give us more compassionate hearts, and keep us faithful to her Son, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.

- - - - - - -
 
For the Church in every place; that, by calling to mind the sorrow of the Blessed Virgin Mary upon hearing the prophecy of Simeon, she may offer comfort to all who advance in this life
along a path of obscurity and suffering.

For the leaders of nations; that, by remembering the sorrow of the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt,
they may be moved to care for refugees and for all who are obliged to flee from war and persecution.

For parents anguishing over their children; that, through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and of Saint Joseph who were anguished by the disappearance of Jesus for three days, they may put their all their confidence in the Father.

For all who bear the cross of suffering; that, like Jesus bearing His cross, they may encounter the Mother of Sorrows on the way, and be sustained by her compassion.

For widows mourning the death of a beloved spouse; that, by turning to Our Lady, the Virgin Widow of Saint Joseph, they may be comforted in their solitude and inspired to go forward with courage and trust in God.

For all priests; that in the daily offering of the Holy Sacrifice, they may discover the nearness of the Mother of Sorrows and, like Saint John, take her into their homes.

For ourselves; that, by remembering the sorrow of the Blessed Virgin Mary at the entombment of her Son, we may be strengthened in hope and learn from her to wait in silence for the light of the resurrection, and for N. for whom this mass is offered.

May we be aided at your Mercy Seat, Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, by the pleading of the Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced, in the hour of your sufferings, by a sword of sorrow. Who live and reign forever and ever.