The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today inspire our contemplation of the role of Mary, Mother of God, in our understanding of the Love of God for people and the Church.
The reading from Genesis describes the Expulsion from Eden.
* [3:15] They will strike…at their heel: the antecedent for “they” and “their” is the collective noun “offspring,” i.e., all the descendants of the woman. Christian tradition has seen in this passage, however, more than unending hostility between snakes and human beings. The snake was identified with the devil (Wis 2:24; Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9; 20:2), whose eventual defeat seemed implied in the verse. Because “the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil” (1 Jn 3:8), the passage was understood as the first promise of a redeemer for fallen humankind, the protoevangelium. Irenaeus of Lyons (ca. A.D. 130–200), in his Against Heresies 5.21.1, followed by several other Fathers of the Church, interpreted the verse as referring to Christ, and cited Gal 3:19 and 4:4 to support the reference. Another interpretive translation is ipsa, “she,” and is reflected in Jerome’s Vulgate. “She” was thought to refer to Mary, the mother of the messiah. In Christian art Mary is sometimes depicted with her foot on the head of the serpent. (Genesis, CHAPTER 3, n.d.)
Psalm 87 praises the Joy of Living in Zion.
* [Psalm 87] A song of Zion, like Ps 46; 48; 76; 132.
* [87:2] The gates: the city itself, a common Hebrew idiom.
* [87:5–6] The bond between the exile and the holy city was so strong as to override the exile’s citizenship of lesser cities. (Psalms, PSALM 87, n.d.)
In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ side is pierced.
* [19:26–27] This scene has been interpreted literally, of Jesus’ concern for his mother; and symbolically, e.g., in the light of the Cana story in Jn 2 (the presence of the mother of Jesus, the address woman, and the mention of the hour) and of the upper room in Jn 13 (the presence of the beloved disciple; the hour). Now that the hour has come (Jn 19:28), Mary (a symbol of the church?) is given a role as the mother of Christians (personified by the beloved disciple); or, as a representative of those seeking salvation, she is supported by the disciple who interprets Jesus’ revelation; or Jewish and Gentile Christianity (or Israel and the Christian community) are reconciled. (John, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)
Maureen Waldron comments that today the Church celebrates Mary as the Mother of the Church. Jesus is saying to us, “Behold, here is your mother.” Too often in our modern day, Mary can be rejected or ignored, entrapped by sentimental piety which robs her of her power. The early disciples saw her as we can: a strong mother, Jesus’ mother, and a courageous leader among them.
I picture Mary as a warm, laughing woman who entertained others with her stories. She prayed from her heart when she was afraid, and she drew courage from God and the scriptures for each bold step she was called to take in life. I suspect that like so many women, her role as a mother expanded her heart to love in ways she could not have imagined.
Today as we celebrate Mary, we see her humanity, her deep faith, her love for both her son and husband. And we see her not only as the mother of all of those who followed Jesus each day, but as our mother, a loving force who welcomes us with open arms – each one of us her children, who were given to her by her beloved son. (Waldron, 2023)
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 19:25-34 comments that as Jesus hung on the cross, he gave Mary to John, the Beloved Disciple, as his own mother (John 19:27). And in doing so, he gave Mary not only to John but to all disciples. Jesus entrusted Mary with a new mission that day: to build up the Church through her motherly care for all of Jesus’ disciples throughout the centuries.
Where do you need Mary’s motherly help today? Do not hesitate to bring your needs to her. Let Jesus reassure you, just as he reassured John: “Behold, your mother.”
“Holy Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for me! May I know and love Jesus more and more each day.” (Meditation on John 19:25-34, n.d.)
Friar Jude Winkler comments on how sin separates us from God, others, and Nature as portrayed in Genesis. The snake as the symbol of evil is connected to David’s victories, Jesus' triumph, and Mary as symbolized in the statue of the Immaculate Conception. Friar Jude reminds us of the sacramental and matrimonial symbols in John as the disciples of Jesus as charged with raising children in the Church for Christ.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, comments that the Holy Spirit empowers us from within. He suggests that the Holy Spirit’s empowerment is the ultimate answer to our prayers.
We pray not to change God but to change ourselves. We pray to form a living relationship, not to get things done. Prayer is a symbiotic relationship with life and with God, a synergy which creates a result larger than the exchange itself. God knows that we need to pray to keep the symbiotic relationship moving and growing. Prayer is not a way to try to control God, or even to get what we want. As Jesus says in Luke’s Gospel (11:13), the answer to every prayer is one, the same, and the best: the Holy Spirit! God gives us power more than answers. [2]
A truly spiritual woman, a truly whole man, is a very powerful person. The fully revealed God of the Bible is not interested in keeping us as children (1 Corinthians 13:11) or “orphans” (John 14:18). God wants adult partners who can handle power and critique themselves (see Hebrews 5:11–6:1). [3] (Rohr, 2023)
We are heirs to the adoption of Mary by the Beloved Disciple as we raise up children for Christ by our piety, study, and action.
References
Genesis, CHAPTER 3. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/3?9
John, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19?25
Meditation on John 19:25-34. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://wau.org/meditations/2023/05/29/693849/
Psalms, PSALM 87. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/87?1
Rohr, R. (2023, May 29). The Divine Strategy — Center for Action and Contemplation. Daily Meditations Archive: 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/the-divine-strategy-2023-05-29/
Waldron, M. (2023, May 29). Creighton U. Daily Reflection. Online Ministries. Retrieved May 29, 2023, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/052923.html
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