Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mừng Mẹ là mẹ Giáo Hội Thứ Hai sau lễ Hiện Xuống

Suy Niệm Tin Mừng Lễ Mừng Mẹ là mẹ Giáo Hội Thứ Hai sau lễ Hiện Xuống

Đức Mẹ đã được ban nhiều danh hiệu, để nhấn mạnh vai trò của Mẹ trong sự kết hiệp với Chúa Giêsu Con của Mẹ trong công cuộc cứu rỗi của Chúa. Mẹ đã có rất nhiều danh hiệu bao gồm cả những cái tên nơi mà Mẹ đã hiện trên trái đất. Những danh xưng khác của Mẹ được lấy từ Kinh thánh, thêm vào sự hiểu biết trong những  mầu nhiệm của Thiên Chúa Cha trên Trời. Một danh hiệu đáng lẽ phải được dùng phổ thông và rộng rãi ngay từ thời Chúa Giêsu đã phải chết trên Thập giá, đó là danh hiệu Mẹ của Giáo hội, và tên này chính là động căn bản được xuất phát từ những lời của Chúa Giêsu đã với Mẹ Maria ngay lúc Ngài còn trên thập giá: “Hỡi bà, này là con bà” [ Ga 19: 26-27]. Đứng dưới chân thánh giá Mẹ Maria và Thánh Gioan là biểu tượng của Giáo hội, do đó, khi trao cho Mẹ Maria cho môn đệ yêu dấu của Ngài chăm sóc, Chúa Giêsu đã ngầm trao Mẹ Mria coi sóc và phù trợ cho Giáo hội với tư cách là Mẹ của Giáo hội.  Thánh Ambrose của Thành Milan đã dùng danh hiệu này cho Mẹ Maria từ thế kỷ thứ 4, nhưng đó chỉ được sdùngvtrng địa phương. Cho tới khi thời Giáo hoàng Paul VI đã chính thức dùng danh hiếu này trong Công đồng Vatican II. Và ĐGH Phanxicô muốn giáo hội mừng nhớ mMẹ vào Mi thứ Hai sau lễ Chúa Thánh Thần Hiện Xuống -viồ đấy cũng là Ngày sinh hhật của Giáo Hội.

Maria, Mẹ của Giáo hội, xin Mẹ chăm sóc chúng con và hướng dẫn chúng con đến sự thánh thiện hơn trong cuộc sống mà chúng con đang sống hầu giúp chúng con có thể thực sự trở thành môn đệ yêu dấu của Chúa Giêsu, Con của Mẹ.’

 

Monday after Pentecost- Our Lady, Mother of the Church:

Gen. 3:9-15,20 or Acts 1:12-14; Ps. 87(86):1-2,3,5,6-7; Jn. 19:25-34)

Our Lady has been given many titles, stressing her role in union with her Son Jesus in God’s work of salvation. Many of the titles include the names where it is believed Our Lady appeared on earth. Other titles are taken from Scripture, adding levels of understanding to the mystery of the Mother of God. One title which should have been widely in use from the time of Jesus’ death on the Cross, is “Mother of the Church”, which essentially derives from Jesus’ words to his Mother from the cross:  “Woman, behold your Son” [Jn 19:26-27].

Standing at the foot of the cross Mary and John are symbolic of the Church, thus in giving Mary into the care of the Beloved Disciple, Jesus is implicitly giving the Church into Mary’s care as Mother of the Church. St Ambrose of Milan used the title for Mary already in the 4th century, but it only came into universal use in the Church when Pope Paul VI officially used it during Vatican Council II.

Mary, Mother of the Church, take care of us and guide us to a greater holiness of life that we may truly become beloved disciples of Jesus, Your Son.

 

Opening Prayer: Mother Mary, in this special month of May, please bless me as I contemplate your suffering at the foot of the cross.

Encountering Christ: 

His Last Gift: With his dying breath, Jesus presented his mother to the apostle John. With this gesture, he offers her to us as well. Afterward, John invited Mary into his home. Do we also invite Mary into our spiritual home? If we look to Mary when life gets tough, our relationship with her deepens. If we pray for her as an intercessor, situation after situation, our connection to her grows. If we are grateful for her, in life’s storms or on calm seas, our bond with her is solidified. If we pray the rosary, read about Mary, and talk about her, she becomes our constant companion. When we have faith in our Mother, we truly receive her presence as a gift—the gift Jesus intended for each one of us when he said, “Behold your mother.”

His Thirst: In her well-known letter, “I thirst for you,” St. Teresa of Calcutta described the infinite love and thirsts of God. Jesus told her, “Even when you are not listening, even when you doubt it could be me, I am there: waiting for even the smallest suggestion of an invitation that will permit me to enter.” Jesus longs to strengthen, console, carry, transform, calm, and heal us. He knows everything about us—our troubles, rejections, humiliations, even the number of hairs on our head. “All I ask of you that you entrust yourself to me completely. I will do the rest.” Do the words “I thirst” echo in our souls?

It Is Finished: In his brief life, Jesus perfectly fulfilled the will of God. When he made the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, he proclaimed, “It is finished.” God’s plan had been perfectly executed. Those same words are true for us when we’ve run a race, completed a project, or endured a hardship. Jesus, however, accomplished his Father’s will in perfect union with him. We are called to do likewise. Our Lord wants nothing more than to be an integral part of our life—all of it. Next time we say, “Ahhh… it is finished,” may we also acknowledge that Jesus strengthened and accompanied us.

Conversing with Christ: I know I will never truly understand the sacrifice you made for me on the cross because I did not endure your life and suffering. Help me, Lord, to join every suffering in my life to yours, because I know that pleases you. By these offerings may I grow more appreciative of your sacrifice for me. Thank you for the gift of your Blessed Mother. 

Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will invite you into every suffering I experience, knowing that I am accompanied by my Blessed Mother and you.

 

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church:

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”  Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”  And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:25–27

The memorial we celebrate today, which was added to the Roman Liturgical Calendar in 2018 by Pope Francis, highlights the truth that the Blessed Virgin Mary is not only the Mother of the Person of Christ, and, therefore, the Mother of God, she is also the Mother of the Church, that is, the Mother of all the faithful. The Blessed Virgin Mary is your mother. And as your mother, she is truly tender, compassionate, caring and merciful, bestowing upon you everything that a perfect mother desires to bestow. She is the fiercest of mothers who will stop at nothing to protect her children. She is a mother wholly devoted to you, her dear child.

The Gospel passage chosen for this memorial depicts our Blessed Mother standing at the foot of the Cross. She would have been no other place than directly beneath her Son as He endured His last agony. She did not flee in fear. She was not overwhelmed by grief. She did not sulk in self-pity. No, she stood by her Son with the perfect love and strength of a devoted, caring, compassionate and faithful mother.

As she stood by her Son in His hour of suffering and death, Jesus turned to her and entrusted the Apostle John to her maternal care. From the early Church Fathers until the most recent teachings of the Church today, this act of entrusting John to Mary and Mary to John by Jesus has been understood as an entrustment of all the faithful to the maternal care of Mother Mary. Mother Mary is, therefore, not only the Mother of the Redeemer, Christ Himself, she also becomes the Mother of all the redeemed, the mother of us all, the Mother of the Church.

Consider the spiritual mother you have in Heaven. A mother is one who gives life. Your mother in Heaven is entrusted with the task of bestowing upon you the new life of grace won by the Cross. And as your mother, she will not withhold anything from you that is to your benefit. A mother is also one who is tender with her children. The Immaculate Heart of our mother in Heaven is one that is filled with the greatest tenderness toward you. Though her caresses are not physical, they are much deeper. She caresses with the tenderness of grace which she imparts to you as you pray and turn to her in your need. She gives you the grace of her Son, poured out upon the Cross as the blood and water sprung forth as a font of mercy. Mother Mary pours that mercy upon you as a tender and devoted mother would. She holds nothing back.

If you are unaware of the love in the heart of our Blessed Mother for you, use this memorial as an opportunity to deepen your understanding of her role in your life. Many children take their mothers for granted, not fully understanding the depth of their love. So it is with our Mother in Heaven. We will never fully comprehend her love and her constant motherly workings in our life until we join her in Heaven face to face.

Reflect, today, upon Mother Mary standing by you in every moment of your life. See her there in your joys and in your sorrows, during your moments of temptation and struggles, in your moments of confusion and clarity. See her there by your side, bestowing every good spiritual gift upon you when you need it the most. She is a true mother, and she is worthy of your love and gratitude.

My dearest Mother, you stood by your Son with unwavering fidelity and love. You cared for Him, nurtured Him and never left His side. I also am your dear child. I thank you for your loving fidelity toward me and open my heart to the grace of your Son that you bestow upon me throughout life. Help me to be more attentive to your motherly care and to daily grow in gratitude for your presence in my life. Mother Mary, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Reflection:

 Little is said about the most glorious Mother of God in the Scriptures. In many ways, she lived a quiet and hidden life. Since her Assumption into Heaven, the Church has prayerfully pondered her life and role in the mystery of salvation. Little by little, saint after saint and pope after pope have shed greater light upon her singularly unique and glorious role in the Father’s eternal plan. As the Church’s understanding of the Blessed Mother has deepened, new titles and new dogmas have been proclaimed about Mary. In 2018, a new liturgical memorial honored her with the title “Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.”

To understand the Blessed Virgin Mary’s role as Mother of the Church, we need to begin with Scripture. As Jesus hung on the Cross, John’s Gospel records that the mother of Jesus and two other women stood before Him, alongside John, the disciple whom Jesus loved. From the Cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to John’s care. “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home” (John 19:26–27).

In 1895, in his encyclical on the rosary, Pope Leo XIII wrote about that Gospel passage: Now in John, as the Church has constantly taught, Christ designated the whole human race, and in the first rank are they who are joined with Him by faith…She was, in very truth, the Mother of the Church, the Teacher and Queen of the Apostles, to whom, besides, she confided no small part of the divine mysteries which she kept in her heart” (Adiutricem #6).

In 1964, Pope Saint Paul VI promulgated the Vatican II document Lumen Gentium (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church). After presenting a complete picture of the mystery of the Church, the final chapter of that constitution presents “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church.” That chapter highlights her singularly unique and maternal role within the Church. Lumen Gentium did not go so far as to ascribe the title “Mother of the Church” to the Blessed Mother, but it did go into great detail about her maternal role within the Church. Four years later, in a motu proprio letter, Pope Paul VI referenced Lumen Gentium and took it a step further by bestowing upon the Mother of God the title “Mother of the Church.”

…we believe that the Blessed Mother of God, the New Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven her maternal role with regard to Christ’s members, cooperating with the birth and growth of divine life in the souls of the redeemed (Solemni Hac Liturgia #15).

Since that time, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis have continually referred to the Mother of God as the Mother of the Church. What does the title “Mother of the Church” mean? On September 17, 1997, Pope John Paul II defined it this way in a Wednesday catechesis:

The title “Mother of the Church” thus reflects the deep conviction of the Christian faithful, who see in Mary not only the mother of the person of Christ, but also of the faithful. She who is recognized as mother of salvation, life and grace, mother of the saved and mother of the living, is rightly proclaimed Mother of the Church. (#5).

On March 3, 2018, Pope Francis announced that a new memorial would be added to the General Roman Calendar and celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost Sunday, entitled “The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church.” In the decree instituting this memorial, Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, said: 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.

It is significant that the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, was entrusted to the Church in the person of Saint John the Apostle at the foot of the Cross. From the Cross, the Church was conceived by the outpouring of grace that flowed from Jesus’ Sacred Heart. At Pentecost, our Blessed Mother was present as the Church was born.

Today, the Mother of the Church reigns in Heaven next to her Son; from there, she continues to nurture the Church as a loving mother. She not only intercedes for us but also mediates her Son’s saving grace, making her the ongoing instrument of grace and mother of all.

Because our understanding of the role of the Blessed Virgin Mary has continually unfolded over the centuries, it is fair to say that we do not yet fully understand her glorious role in the Father’s plan of salvation. Some have proposed that she be given the dogmatic titles “Mediatrix of All Grace” and “Co-Redemptrix.” Regardless of what comes next in our ever deepening understanding of the role of the Blessed Mother, we can be certain that those who one day gaze upon the essence of God Himself as he reveals all truth will immediately become aware of the most profound mysteries of Mary’s hidden life.

As we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, know that she is your spiritual mother insofar as you are a member of Christ’s Body, the Church. By giving birth to the Head, she gives birth to the members. As members of that Body, it is essential that we seek spiritual nourishment from the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is our mother and queen. From her, we are born into God’s grace. She is the chosen instrument and mediatrix of grace. Rely upon her motherly intercession and mediation, and entrust yourself more fully to her care.

Most glorious Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to you I entrust myself just as Jesus entrusted John to your care. Receive me as your spiritual child, and nurture me with your Son’s divine grace. Thank you for your “Yes” to the Father’s plan, for your life, and for your continuous “Yes” through time and eternity. May my “Yes” echo yours as I surrender fully to God’s plan. Mother Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

 

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Opening Prayer: Lord God, from the beginning you have prepared Mary, the Mother of your Son, to be my mother. She cares for me and asks you through her Son to attend to my prayer and give me the good things I need. With you as my Father and with Mary as my Mother I have nothing to fear.

Encountering the Word of God

1. Eve, the Sinful Mother of Humanity: One of the options for the First Reading is Genesis 3, which narrates the fall of Adam and Eve. Adam called his wife “Eve,” because she was “the mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20). When Adam and Eve sinned, God promised that the “seed of the woman,” one of Eve’s descendants, would crush the head of the serpent, the devil (Genesis 3:15). “Not only did [Eve] play a crucial role in bringing sin and death into the world but it was one of her offspring – the Messiah – who was expected to rise up one day and undo the effects of the Fall” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 24). In contrast to Eve, who disobeyed God and transmitted sin and death to all her descendants, Mary is the New Eve, who through her obedience cooperated in the transmission of grace and life to all her spiritual children. Eve had an important role in the first creation; Mary, the New Eve, has an important role in the New Creation.

2. Rachel, the Sorrowful Mother of Israel: To understand the identity and role of Mary as the Mother of the Church, it is helpful to take a look back at Rachel, who was considered the Mother of Israel. Rachel was the beloved wife of Jacob and the mother of Joseph and Benjamin. Rachel’s life was filled with suffering. Her father tricked Jacob into marrying her sister, Leah, and when Rachel finally married Joseph she struggled to conceive a child. She eventually gave birth to Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob, but died giving birth to Benjamin, her second son, near Bethlehem. Rachel, however, was not just the mother of Joseph and Benjamin but was also considered the mother of all Israel, who somehow suffers with them and weeps for them, even after her death (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 166). The prophet Jeremiah (31:15) depicts the spirit of Rachel witnessing the suffering of her descendants as they were taken captive by the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C. She intercedes for her children and moves the heart of God. God responds to Rachel’s prayer and tells her not to cry anymore because her work will be rewarded and her children will come back to the Promised Land (Jeremiah 31:16-17) (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 167). In sum, “as the wife of Jacob/Israel himself, Rachel was regarded in a special way as the sorrowful mother of all Israel, whose special role was to pray for and intercede on behalf of her children, even though she was no longer here on earth” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 169).

3. Mary, the Sorrowful Mother of the Church: In relation to Rachel, Mary has many important connections. First, when Matthew narrates the massacre of the innocents, he links Jeremiah’s prophecy about Rachel to Mary: Rachel is the suffering mother who is in pain for the murdered children of Bethlehem. She symbolizes the suffering of Mary. “As the suffering mother of the persecuted child who is driven into exile, Mary in Matthew’s Gospel is truly a new Rachel” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 171). The Gospel of John, which we read today, also depicts Mary as the new Rachel: she becomes the mother of the Beloved Disciple through her suffering at Golgotha. Jesus compared his crucifixion to the sorrow of a woman in childbirth (John 16:21-22). The image of a sorrowing mother giving birth calls to mind Rachel’s sorrowful delivery of her second son, Benjamin (Genesis 35:16-20). “[J]ust as Rachel gave birth to her second-born son, Benjamin, through suffering and dying in childbirth, so Mary spiritually ‘gives birth’ to her second son – the Beloved Disciple – by her interior suffering and ‘dying’ at the foot of the cross” (Pitre, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, 175). Mary’s suffering, like Rachel’s, is fruitful: through her interior dying she becomes the mother of another child – the apostle John, who, as the Beloved Disciple, symbolizes the members of the Church. Just as Rachel, the mother of all Israel, was thought to be a powerful intercessor for her children, so also, Mary, the Mother of the Church, is our powerful intercessor in heaven.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you love me so much that you gave me your Mother to be my mother. She knew your sufferings and knows mine and is right now praying for me in heaven. Attend to the voice of your Mother and present her powerful prayers before the Father.

Living the Word of God: Can I find time to pray a decade of the rosary or a rosary today and contemplate the face of Jesus with Mary?