Mary, Mother Of The Church
(Memorial for the Monday immediately after Pentecost Sunday)
Acts 1:12-14
Responsorial Psalm. Psalm 86: 1-2, 3, 5, 6-7 "Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!"
Alleluia, alleluia! Happy are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise; from you rose the sun of justice, Christ the Lord. Alleluia!
John 19:25-34
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed stock photo ID: 172756952. ANTWERP, BELGIUM - SEPTEMBER 5, 2013: Paint of Crucifixion as part of Seven Sorrows of Virgin cycle by Josef Janssens from years 1903 - 1910 in the cathedral of Our Lady. By Renata Sedmakova
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Please listen to my audio recordings of the readings, prayers and reflections for Mary Mother Of The Church – (Monday after Pentecost) by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/the-blessed-virgin-mary-mother-of-the-church-a-2020
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
On this special (feast of) Mary Mother Of The Church
my brothers and sisters, to prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you are son of God and the son of Mary Lord, have mercy.
Your mother prays with us for true and lasting peace. Christ, have mercy.
You give to us your mother as mother of the Church. Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Mary, Mother and Model of the church
Euch .Prayer: II
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Go and announce the gospel of the lord. .
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Prologue: The Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The Second Vatican Council, (1962-65), spoke eloquently of the Virgin Mary in its document on the Church, and in 1964 proclaimed the title Mother of the Church. Christ on the cross entrusted his mother to Saint John: This is your Mother! This memorial on the day after Pentecost recalls her maternal presence among the Disciples of Christ from the beginning.
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HOMILY:
As Our Lord hung, dying a cruel death on the cross, it would have been totally understandable if he was focused on just breathing… and yet even at this time, in great pain and near the very end, his thoughts and concerns turned to his mother and to his disciples and the good of the mission he came to fulfil. He said to his mother: "Woman, this is your son!" And to John the beloved disciple, "This is your mother!" This action not only ensured the ongoing care of his beloved mother, and first and most perfect disciple, Mary, but also in doing this Our Lord gave his mother to care for all his disciples and the whole church. So, today it is good and right to celebrate Mary as the Mother of the Church.
Mary was there from the very beginning. She was utterly attentive and faithful to the Word of God. She accepted the word God so utterly into her heart and life that she was given the unique privileged of giving birth to the Word made flesh, and caring for him and raising him in love.
Throughout Our Lady's life, she pondered and treasured all the events of her life in her heart. Mary was there to give the opportunity for his first sign as Messiah, when out of love and concern she drew Christ's attention to the wine running out at the wedding in Cana. Her words then apply to so many other acts of discipleship ever since… "do whatever he instructs you."
Our Lady was not at all put off when she and other relatives went to see Jesus when he was preaching and asked to speak with him. His reply was unusual - Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? Whoever hears the word of God and keeps it, is my mother, my sister my brother! This, of course, is a wonderful widening of his family to include everyone… Mary's response to this was obvious… Her actions before, during and after this event show that her reply was like this… "then I shall be your mother and your disciple."
Mary was there at all the key moments of Christ's ministry… She was at the foot of the cross when he suffered and died… she is called, for this extraordinary act of valour, a "living-martyr, who stood at the foot of the cross," and surely suffered spiritually everything her son suffered physically.
Mary was again present at the news of the resurrection.
And also again, as shown by today's first reading - Mary was with the apostles in the upper room, after Christ's ascension.. continually at prayer along with the disciples.
And profoundly…..Mary was with the disciples at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended in its fullness and empowered Christ's church.
The Church is blessed and grateful that Mary's care for the church and all its disciples continued in her earthly life, and continues for us these many generations since. The motherly care, intercession, protection and love of Mary is a wonderful blessing given to us by Christ.
And of course, we are very aware of how much we appreciate this motherly care in these present days…
The newly established Australian colonies depended greatly on the motherly care and intercession of Mary in its early years, especially when there were no priests or sacraments available for most of the first thirty years since the First Fleet arrived. The Rosary, Marian devotion and the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary kept the faith alive in those drawn-out decades.
And we are sure that Jesus has given us the motherly care, intercession and prayer of his beloved mother in these present times of uncertainty, pandemic and upheaval. This fills us with hope, peace and a sense of direction.
Our Lady, Mother of the Church. Pray for us.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
Image Credit: Shutterstock Licensed stock photo ID: 172756952. ANTWERP, BELGIUM - SEPTEMBER 5, 2013: Paint of Crucifixion as part of Seven Sorrows of Virgin cycle by Josef Janssens from years 1903 - 1910 in the cathedral of Our Lady. By Renata Sedmakova
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993). (Sydney Australia).
Marian Hymn - "Salve Regina Mater Misericordiae." (Traditional 11th Century). Melody: Mainz (1712), Hymn #783 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/
Marian Hymn – "Whom Earth and Sea and Sky Proclaim." Traditional 6th Century Hymn. Melody: Bartholomaus Gesius (d.1613). #376 - Brébeuf Hymnal. From https://www.ccwatershed.org/hymn/
[Production - KER - 2020]
May God bless and keep you.
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