Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Mary, Mother of the Church
Matthew 5:1-12 (John 19:25-34 – for Mary, Mother of the Church)
Mary, Mother of the Church and the path to holiness

Today, the Monday after Pentecost, we celebrate the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church — a title that reminds us of something deeply consoling: Jesus did not leave us orphans. From the Cross, he entrusted Mary not only to John, but to all of us. She is Mother of the Church, Mother of each of us.

This is not a new title. Saint Pope Paul VI proclaimed it at the Second Vatican Council. Saint John Paul II encouraged devotion to Mary under this name. But in 2018, it became a liturgical celebration, rooted in a beautiful truth: on the day the Church was born, her Mother was already present — silent, prayerful, courageous, gathered with the Apostles in the Upper Room.

Mary stands at the foot of every cross. She doesn’t run away from pain. She stands. And that is what a mother does. She stays. She holds. She hopes. She believes — even when all seems lost.

From her we learn how to be Church: not a closed group or fearful refuge, but a reconciled, missionary community. When we are tempted to withdraw, to focus on ourselves, to become a Church of maintenance rather than mission, Mary tells us: go! love! serve! trust the Spirit!

She helps us live the Gospel of the Beatitudes — not as a theory, but as a path. Holiness is not about big gestures. It is about the little steps of every day — being poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart. The saints, especially the “next door saints,” our loved ones, are cheering us on.

So today, let us walk with Mary, Mother of the Church, toward our true home. She who is the Gate of Heaven now walks beside us — to teach us, guide us, and, when the time comes, to welcome us home.
Amen.

© Claretian Publications, Hong Kong, China
Cum Approbatione Ecclesiastica 2025