Mother for His Mission

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, share the tradition and connection of Mary to care for the Church.

St Mary's Bascilica 

The reading from the Book of Genesis presents the enmity between the snake and the woman.

* [3:14] Each of the three punishments (the snake, the woman, the man) has a double aspect, one affecting the individual and the other affecting a basic relationship. The snake previously stood upright, enjoyed a reputation for being shrewder than other creatures, and could converse with human beings as in vv. 1–5. It must now move on its belly, is more cursed than any creature, and inspires revulsion in human beings (v. 15).

* [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.

* [3:20] The man gives his wife a more specific name than “woman” (2:23). The Hebrew name hawwa (“Eve”) is related to the Hebrew word hay (“living”); “mother of all the living” points forward to the next episode involving her sons Cain and Abel. (Genesis, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Alternate Reading from the Acts of the Apostles presents The First Community in Jerusalem.

* [1:1–26] This introductory material (Acts 1:1–2) connects Acts with the Gospel of Luke, shows that the apostles were instructed by the risen Jesus (Acts 1:3–5), points out that the parousia or second coming in glory of Jesus will occur as certainly as his ascension occurred (Acts 1:6–11), and lists the members of the Twelve, stressing their role as a body of divinely mandated witnesses to his life, teaching, and resurrection (Acts 1:12–26). (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 87 is 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, CHAPTER 87 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of John presents the symbolism of the Blood and Water.

* [19:25] It is not clear whether four women are meant, or three (i.e., Mary the wife of Cl[e]opas [cf. Lk 24:18] is in apposition with his mother’s sister) or two (his mother and his mother’s sister, i.e., Mary of Cl[e]opas and Mary of Magdala). Only John mentions the mother of Jesus here. The synoptics have a group of women looking on from a distance at the cross (Mk 15:40).

* [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.

* [19:28] The scripture…fulfilled: either in the scene of Jn 19:25–27, or in the I thirst of Jn 19:28. If the latter, Ps 22:16; 69:22 deserve consideration.

* [19:29] Wine: John does not mention the drugged wine, a narcotic that Jesus refused as the crucifixion began (Mk 15:23), but only this final gesture of kindness at the end (Mk 15:36). Hyssop, a small plant, is scarcely suitable for carrying a sponge (Mark mentions a reed) and may be a symbolic reference to the hyssop used to daub the blood of the paschal lamb on the doorpost of the Hebrews (Ex 12:22).

* [19:30] Handed over the spirit: there is a double nuance of dying (giving up the last breath or spirit) and that of passing on the holy Spirit; see Jn 7:39 which connects the giving of the Spirit with Jesus’ glorious return to the Father, and Jn 20:22 where the author portrays the conferral of the Spirit.

* [19:34–35] John probably emphasizes these verses to show the reality of Jesus’ death, against the docetic heretics. In the blood and water there may also be a symbolic reference to the Eucharist and baptism. (John, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB, n.d.)

Suzanne Braddock grew up in a church that did not give Mary this role of “Behold your mother.”

It has taken me a lifetime to grow close to her, to allow her to mother me as I am sure she desires.

I have learned that she is a patient and persistent mother who never gives up. She is a rather silent mother who speaks when she really wants to be heard. Do I listen? Do I struggle to understand when I am hurt? Do I forgive? Do I stay until the end? Am I with others to witness the glory of Jesus’ resurrection? Do I share the Good News with others?

Mother Mary, pray for us. (Braddock, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 19:25-34 notes that as Pope Francis wrote, Jesus gave Mary to us “because he did not want us to journey without a mother” (Evangelii Gaudium, 285).

Jesus understands how much we need a mother’s love to help us share the gospel. Only a mother who embraces all of her children equally can teach us to love all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. And only a mother of infinite patience will stay close to us as we experience the ups and downs of building a Church that is open to all.

So today, as you honor Mary, the Mother of the Church, take her as your own mother. Ask her to walk with you. And behold your mother!

“Holy Mary, give me your heart of love!” (Meditation on John 19:25-34, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the events in the reading from Genesis where we hear sin creates division between us and God. Adam blames Eve and she blames the snake that will lose its legs and be the sign of enmity between it and the woman. In the Greek, the snake will strike at “her” heel as represented in the statues of Mary but in the original text the enmity may have been focused on David or the future Messiah. The texts from Chapter 1 of Acts describe that, after the ascension, the Apostles and Mary gather in the Upper Room for prayer. Mary is present as mother and model of the Church. In the Gospel of John, Jesus declares “Mother behold your son” and the tradition is that The Beloved, John in Ephesus, cares for Mary. Symbolically, Jesus on the cross is marrying the Church and presents an allusion to the creation of the first woman. From His side Blood represents Eucharist and water Baptism. In a connection to Levirate Marriage tradition, we need to know who is to marry the widow? Jesus adopts the Beloved disciple as a brother. Who is the One who becomes mother of the Beloved? Mary Mother of the Church. Friar Jude notes that Mary appears twice in John’s Gospel: Cana and under the cross. Ultimately we are the Beloved Disciple and Mary is Our Mother who guides her children.

Father Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Theologian Willie Jennings who recounts how the Holy Spirit created a new community through common language.Through the Spirit, an intimacy with God and with one another is born.

God has come to them, on them, with them. This moment echoes Mary’s intimate moment. The Holy Spirit again overshadows. However, this similar holy action creates something different, something startling. The Spirit creates joining. The followers of Jesus are now being connected in a way that joins them to people in the most intimate space—of voice, memory, sound, body, land, and place. It is language that runs through all these matters. It is the sinew of existence of a people. My people, our language: to speak a language is to speak a people. Speaking announces familiarity, connection, and relationality.…

This is not generic speech, formal pronouncements, but the language of intimate spaces where peoples inside talk to one another. The hearers query a past that does not exist for these followers of Jesus. “How do they know my language and know my people? When did they gain that knowledge?” But their miraculous tongues are not about the past but about the future, a future shaped by divine desire. This is why we must see more than a miracle of hearing. Such limited seeing … exposes our modern failure to grasp the revolutionary intimacy that will give birth to a belonging that we will call church. This is a revolution of the Spirit always poised to unleash itself at the slightest moment of faithful waiting and yielding. (Rohr, n.d.)

We celebrate the role of Mary as Mother of the Church and our model of trust, faith, and hope as we journey as Christians in the world.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/1?12 

Braddock, S. (n.d.). Daily Reflections. On Line Ministries. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-may-25-2026 

Genesis, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/genesis/3?9 

John, CHAPTER 19 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/19? 

Meditation on John 19:25-34. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/05/25/1577966/ 

Psalms, CHAPTER 87 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings, Audio and Video Every Morning | USCCB. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/87?1 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Speaking the Church into Existence. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 25, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/speaking-the-church-into-existence/ 

Conquering Spirit of Peace

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to communicate with those with whom we share our journey about the Way of full life in relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit.

Encounters on our journey

The reading from the Acts of the Apostles describes the mission of  Paul in Ephesus.

* [19:1–6] Upon his arrival in Ephesus, Paul discovers other people at the same religious stage as Apollos, though they seem to have considered themselves followers of Christ, not of the Baptist. On the relation between baptism and the reception of the Spirit, see note on Acts 8:16. (Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 19, n.d.)

Psalm 68 is a hymn of Praise and Thanksgiving.

* [Psalm 68] The Psalm is extremely difficult because the Hebrew text is badly preserved and the ceremony that it describes is uncertain. The translation assumes the Psalm accompanied the early autumn Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkoth), which included a procession of the tribes (Ps 68:25–28). Israel was being oppressed by a foreign power, perhaps Egypt (Ps 68:31–32)—unless Egypt stands for any oppressor. The Psalm may have been composed from segments of ancient poems, which would explain why the transitions are implied rather than explicitly stated. At any rate, Ps 68:2 is based on Nm 10:35–36, and Ps 68:8–9 are derived from Jgs 5:4–5. The argument develops in nine stanzas (each of three to five poetic lines): 1. confidence that God will destroy Israel’s enemies (Ps 68:2–4); 2. call to praise God as savior (Ps 68:5–7); (Psalms, PSALM 68, n.d.)

In the Gospel of John, Jesus speaks plainly about His departure and peace that will come through the Advocate.

* [16:30] The reference is seemingly to the fact that Jesus could anticipate their question in Jn 16:19. The disciples naively think they have the full understanding that is the climax of “the hour” of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension (Jn 16:25), but the only part of the hour that is at hand for them is their share in the passion (Jn 16:32). (John, CHAPTER 16, n.d.)

Jay Carney shares the hope that St. Paul and Pope Francis will inspire all of us to do our own small part to evangelize in our corners of the world, building up a culture of encounter through sharing the joy of the gospel.

First, in keeping with his overall missionary spirit, Paul demonstrates a willingness to go out….  Second, for their part, the disciples of John the Baptist demonstrate a willingness to go deeper. … Third, Paul reflects a willingness to go forth to debate and dialogue with his opponents…. As Pope Francis said in Evangelii Gaudium, and has repeated many times since, “evangelization also involves the path of dialogue” (EG 238). (Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries, n.d.) 

Don Schwager quotes “In Christ we have peace,” by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"When [Jesus] says, 'These things have I spoken to you, that in me you might have peace,' he refers not only to what he has just said but also to what he had said all along, either from the time that he first had disciples, or since the supper, when he began this long and wonderful discourse... He declares this to be the object of his whole discourse, that is, that in him they might have peace. And this peace will have no end but is itself the end of every godly action and intention." (excerpt from TRACTATES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 104.1.15) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on John 16:29-33 comments that faith is not static. That’s a good thing because it can keep growing in us—as it did with the disciples after Pentecost. But our faith can also be shaken in trying times—as it was when the disciples abandoned Jesus. Or our faith can become so lukewarm that it has no real impact on our lives. So how can we keep our faith growing and not waning?

Faith is a journey with lots of ruts in the road, so we shouldn’t be surprised when we stumble. But by following the example of the first disciples—recalling God’s word, asking for the grace of the Holy Spirit, and depending on our brothers and sisters—we can count on our faith to get stronger with each day. “Jesus, I believe in you. Increase my faith.” (Meditation on John 16:29-33, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the time when Apollos did not know the Baptism of the Spirit. Baptism and Confirmation confer different aspects of the Spirit. Friar Jude reminds us of the shalom that Jesus' Hour of Glory on the Cross brings us through Love to conquer the world.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, shares the work of Rev. Dr. Jacqui Lewis, who comments that religion at its best teaches us how to “see” with greater clarity, which increases our courage and capacity to love ourselves, others, even our enemies.

In its truest sense, religion should reconnect human beings—bind them again—to the creation, to one another, to the divine, to love. Religion should reveal to us how much we need one another to survive and thrive. Religion should be revelatory and revolutionary, helping us see how our biases about color, gender, sexuality, and class cause deep hurt to both body and soul. . . . The teaching of rabbi Jesus is simple: Love God. Love neighbor. Love self. Love period. . . . At a lecture in Israel, I heard one of my favorite rabbis, Donniel Hartman, say, “A life of faith isn’t just about walking with God, but how one walks with humanity. The core feature of a moral life is to see. Choosing not to see is immoral. The goal of religion is to improve our willingness and our ability to see.” A spiritual life is supposed to help us see better. The aim of Love, and any God worth worshipping, is improved sight. . . . (Rohr, 2022)

Our journey brings us to encounter opportunities to relate to people and witness to the peace of Christ in the actions of our lives.

References

Acts of the Apostles, CHAPTER 19. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/acts/19?1 

Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. (n.d.). Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/053022.html 

John, CHAPTER 16. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/16?29 

Meditation on John 16:29-33. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://wau.org/meditations/2022/05/30/396625/ 

Psalms, PSALM 68. (n.d.). USCCB. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/68?2 

Rohr, R. (2022, May 30). Seeing All Things. Daily Meditations Archive: 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/seeing-all-the-things-2022-05-30/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture ... Retrieved May 30, 2022, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2022&date=may30