Monday, May 29, 2023

29 May 2023 - mother of the living


When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”

Jesus gave Mary to be the mother not of one disciple only but the Church as a whole and to each of us individually. The disciple whom he loved was likely John, but he was described as he was to serve as a placeholder for ourselves, disciples beloved of Jesus. 

Because her motherhood extended to "those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus" (see Revelation 12:17) Mary was the true "mother of all the living" that Eve was meant to be (see 
Genesis 3:20). It was clear from the moment that Eve squandered the supernatural life that was God's gift that God was not simply going to abandon his creatures or start again in some unrelated way, but that he had a plan to restore what was lost precisely through a woman and her offspring. 

I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
while you strike at his heel.

Mary's faith undid the faithlessness of Eve. As Saint Irenaeus wrote, "For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith" (see Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 22, Paragraph 4). It was through her faith that the fruitfulness of the divine life manifested to the world. This was true at the annunciation when she chose to trust in the words of the angel. It was true as she stood near the cross of her Son when the Church was born from his wounded side. And it was true in the upper room at Pentecost when she gathered in prayer with the others for the outpouring of the Spirit. Mary was like a microcosm of the faithful Church. And the Church at its best would always be a reflection of Mary on a larger scale, fidelity giving birth to many children for the Lord. For such faith would always be the path to blessedness. Yet the children of Mary and of the Church were not always nearly so faithful as she, not always nearly so holy as the Church in its essence would always be. For this reason we need to open ourselves to the gift of the motherhood of Mary and of the Church so that the head of the serpent can be crushed in our lives and in our world. And so we should heed Jesus words to the beloved disciple.

Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”

The thirst of Jesus on the cross was that the world would ask for and sate itself upon the living water that flowed from his side, the very water that we read was poured out together with his precious blood. Mary was eager for her Son to give this gift to the world as we can see from her involvement at the wedding at Cana. And why? Because she knows that we are children destined for a wedding feast, but that we lack the wine of joy that can come from Jesus alone. This wine was poured out upon the cross but received most fully by the disciples at Pentecost. Mary herself knew what it was like to be filled with the Holy Spirit and so she helped those present in the upper-room to welcome the Spirit and to drink deeply the gift her Son had given at such great cost. If we take heed and behold our mother she will guide us to the spring where we too can drink and be satisfied.


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