Here is your mother

Yesterday we celebrated the feastday of Pentecost. The Catholic Church believes that this event represents the birth of the Christian Church. In today's scripture reading (Acts 1:12-14) it describes the period of 10 days after Jesus' ascension to heaven and before the coming of the Holy Spirit. In verse 14 it describes the wait: "They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.". I have not noticed it before that Mary, the mother of Jesus was there in the upper room along  with the apostles and the other disciples (women and men). The church has always held a very high regards for the central role Mary plays in the birth and nurturing of the early church.

In fact, the other scripture read today is the scene of Jesus on the cross (John 19:25-34) where Jesus not only asked His mother Mary to look after the disciple He loved (assumed to be the apostle John), representing the church (which He loved and for whom He died), but He also told the church to look after their mother - our Mother: "When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, “Dear woman, here is your son.”  And he said to this disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from then on this disciple took her into his home."

Today, May 21, 2018, marks the first celebration of the Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, instituted early this year by Pope Francis. The announcement came in a decree issued March 3, 2018, by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments... “The joyous veneration given to the Mother of God by the contemporary Church, in light of reflection on the mystery of Christ and on his nature, cannot ignore the figure of a woman (cf. Gal 4:4), the Virgin Mary, who is both the Mother of Christ and Mother of the Church.,” according to the decree. “This celebration will help us to remember that growth in the Christian life must be anchored to the Mystery of the Cross, to the oblation of Christ in the Eucharistic Banquet and to the Mother of the Redeemer and Mother of the Redeemed, the Virgin who makes her offering to God.”

I did not know my Blessed Mother that well for many many years living as a Christian. But now, I am becoming more and more acquainted with this amazing woman, who said YES to Jesus:
"Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)

Because she said YES she became the mother of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Saying the Rosary everyday reminds me of the central role Mary plays to bring my petition to God, through Jesus, who loves His Mother and wants us to do the same.