Today, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. Saint Ambrose of Milan was the first to use this title in reference to Mary, but how can we understand it today?
The creation accounts in the Book of Genesis remind us that even from the beginning of time, our God has always wanted to live in peace with us - wanted us to find fulfillment and joy - but the devil is always at work, trying to tempt us into believing that we ourselves can be like God. Fortunately for us, God never grows tired of coming in search of us, especially when we get lost. After Adam had eaten of the tree, the Lord God called to him and said: 'Where are you?' (Gn 3: 9). God is constantly calling out to us as well. It is He who comes looking for us, even before we ourselves are aware of the fact that we have wandered away: Where are you? ... and He is always gentle with us, always inviting us to grow, always willing to help us.
The gospel account for today's Mass also gives us a glimpse into the loving heart of God: When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold your son'. Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother' (Jn 19: 26-27). Out of love for us, God comes looking for us. When He finds us, he takes stock of the situation, recognizes our needs, and immediately places the people and the resources that we need before us. Woman, behold your son ... behold your mother.
Jesus gave Mary to John because he knew that John needed a mother, someone to guide him, someone to love him, someone to help him grow and mature so that he could come to his full potential. Like John, let us turn to Mary today. She is our Mother too, the Mother of the Church. She is always ready to help us, to believe in us, to walk with us and to lead us.
Have a great day.
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