7tth Week: May 20-25:
May 20 Monday (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church)
One of the most recent architectural additions to Saint
Peter’s Square is the mosaic of Mary “Mother of the Church,” with the
inscription Totus Tuus, yet another sign of Pope St. John Paul II’s
great love for Our Lady. On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Pope
Francis declared that, thenceforward, the Monday after Pentecost
Sunday would be celebrated as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother
of the Church. The Memorial was to be observed annually. It has been added to
the General Roman Calendar, the Roman Missal, and the Liturgy of the Hours with
the Holy Father’s wish that this new feast day foster Marian piety and the
maternal sense of the Church. Pentecost was the birth of the Church – the
Mystical Body of Christ. As Mother of Christ, the Head of the Church, Mary is also
the Mother of the Church, for she was with the apostles for that great event.
In Catholic Mariology, Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae), is a
title officially given to Mary at the closing of the Second Vatican Council, by
Pope St. Paul VI. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose
of Milan. The same title was used by Pope Benedict IV in 1748 and then by Pope
Leo XIII in 1885. Pope St. Paul VI made the pronouncement of the title Mother
of the Church during his speech upon the closing of the third session of the
Second Vatican Council on November 21, 1964: “For the glory of the
Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary the Most Holy Mother of the
Church, that is, the Mother of the whole People of God, both the faithful and
the pastors.” Later, the title was used by Pope St. John Paul II, and
is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Churchwhich states,
quoting St. Augustine, that “…Mary joined in bringing about the birth of
believers in the Church, who are members of its Head.” (CCC #963). “At
once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization of
the Church.” (CCC # 507).
Pope St. John Paul II used the encyclical “Redemptoris
Mater” (March 25, 1987), to explain how Jesus gave his mother
into the care of John the apostle and how she became the Mother of the whole
Church. The Pope said, “in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary
embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one
through the Church.” Pope Benedict XVI addressed the issue of the
relationship between Roman Catholic Mariology and ecclesiology quoting the
theologian Hugo Rahner, SJ [elder brother of Karl Rahner SJ] that Mariology was
originally ecclesiology. “The Church is like Mary. The Church is virgin and
mother, she is immaculate and carries the burdens of history. She suffers, and
she is assumed into heaven. She is carrying the mystery of the Church.” That
is why in 2018 Pope Francis decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church be inserted into the Roman Calendar
on the Monday after Pentecost and that it be celebrated every year. The decree
was signed on 11 February 2018, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the
160th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions. The decree was issued on 3 March
2018.
As St. Augustine once said: “Mary is more blessed
because she embraces Faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of
Christ.” As St. Ambrose taught, “The Mother of God is a type of the
Church in the order of Faith, Charity, and the perfect union with Christ.” She
serves as the ultimate role model for all Christians in her willingness to
cooperate with God’s will. So, while we rightfully acknowledge her as the
Mother of God, the Theotokos, we also acknowledge her sanctity and
her willingness to do God’s will. This is why another ancient name attributed
to her now appears on the Church’s calendar. “The Cross, the Eucharist,
and the Mother of God are three mysteries that God gave to the world in order
to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to Jesus.” (Robert,
Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the
Discipline of the Sacraments; retired February 20, 2021). Let us honor Mary,
the Mother of the Church, by imitating her virtues of faith, humility, and
total surrender.
May 21 Tuesday: [Saint Christopher
Magallanes, Priest,
and Companions, Martyrs]
Context: Today’s Gospel outlines God’s criteria
for greatness. Jesus’ Apostles shared the Jewish hope that the Messiah would be
a political ruler, and that they would hold important portfolios in the
Messianic kingdom. Hence, in today’s passage, Jesus warns his Apostles and the
future hierarchy in his Church against the natural human tendency to pride and
ambition. He exhorts the spiritual leaders, as well as all believers in
responsible positions, to be humble, trusting, and innocent, that is, like
children.
Child-like qualities: Children are basically
innocent and honest. They are naturally humble because they depend on their
parents for everything. They trust and obey their parents because they know
their parents love them. Hence, Jesus advises his disciples to forget their
selfish ambitions and to spend their lives serving others in all humility, with
trusting Faith in a loving, providing God. Then they will be great in the
Kingdom of Heaven.
Life Messages: 1) We need to practice humility
in thoughts, words, and actions. “Learn from me for I am meek and
humble of heart.” St. Augustine asks, “What is the essential
thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ?” and then
responds, “I shall reply: first humility, second humility, and third
humility.” 2) We should not seek recognition and recompense for the
service we do for Christ and the Church as parents, teachers, pastors etc. 3)
Trusting Faith resulting from true humility is essential for all corporal and
spiritual works of mercy. 4) Since children reflect the innocence, purity,
simplicity and tenderness of our Lord, and since they are given the protection
of a guardian angel, we are to love them, train them, and take care not to give
scandal to them. 5) We need to try to treat everyone with love and respect
because, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and
shepherd leading him to life,” (St. Basil) (CCC #336).
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 22 Wednesday: [Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious]
The context: Ecclesiastical structures and lines of
authority were not as clearly defined in the early Church as they are now.
There were several Christian communities in big cities, each established by a
different evangelist with different preachers, and each with its own practices.
Rivalries could develop among them. In such circumstances, perhaps the incident
and instruction of Jesus presented in today’s Gospel passage was recalled. In
the passage, the Apostles complained about someone using the name of Jesus for
healing the sick. They were upset at seeing someone who did not belong to their
group using Jesus’ name to cast out demons. They were under the false
impression that healing and exorcism in Jesus’ Name was their sole right. This
was the “closed mentality” which they copied from the teaching habits of the
Scribes and the Pharisees who reserved the Torah and its teaching only to the
Jews. They had forgotten the truth that God can use anybody as an instrument of
healing.
“Whoever is not against us is for us:” Navarre
Bible commentary explains this passage thus: “Our Lord warns the
Apostles, and through them all Christians, against exclusivism in the
apostolate–the notion that “good is not good unless I am the one who does
it.” Jesus gives an ecumenical affirmation, and warning against
jealousy and exclusivism or spiritual greed, telling his disciples that there
should not be any rivalry, jealousy or suspicion as long as all hold the same
belief. (Since the present-day divisions in Christianity are substantive,
rising from differences over the basic tenets of Faith, today’s Gospel passage
does not apply to them). However, Jesus’ instruction invites all Christians who
accept him as Lord and Savior to work together for the common welfare of all,
especially the poor, the sick, and the marginalized. There is no reason for any
Christian denomination to be jealous of another denomination because of the
greater good they do for people for God’s glory. True love seeks the highest
good of our neighbor while envy results from the selfishness and pride contrary
to true Christian love.
Life message: 1) Let us not try to prevent anyone from doing
good to others because of envy or jealousy. Envy and jealousy are sinful
because they lead us to sadness over what should make us rejoice. True love
always seeks the highest good of the neighbor. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 23 Thursday:
The context: After cautioning his disciples against jealousy
and envy, Jesus explains to them the rewards for good works and warns them of
the punishment reserved for scandal-givers. Jesus promises a reward for even
the smallest act of charity for two reasons: 1) in performing the action, we
are recognizing the truth that the beneficiary belongs to Jesus and that Jesus
lives in him or her. 2) We perform the action as an expression of our gratitude
for the numerous favors we have received from God.
The seriousness of scandal: Jesus tells scandal-givers that
suffering a dire punishment like drowning in the deep sea with a millstone hung
around one’s neck would do one less harm than one will suffer for committing
the horror of giving scandal to one of His “little ones.” This is because 1)
every scandal causes a chain reaction, resulting in the victims’ abusing and
giving scandal to others in turn, adversely affecting the whole community in
the process. 2) Scandals, like the sexual abuse of children, lead many to
serious sins and lead both victims and scandal-givers away from Faith and
religious practices. What does Jesus mean by amputation? Jesus teaches that,
just as a doctor might remove an infected hand or leg or some other part of the
body in order to preserve the life of the whole body, so we must be ready to
part with anything that causes us to sin and which leads us to spiritual death.
This means that we should abandon certain evil habits, bad friendships and
undue attachments to avoid giving serious bad example and committing grave
sins. Jesus does not teach that we should literally cut off hand or foot or
pluck out our eye. Rather, using a Semitic idiom, he teaches that the most
important aspect of our life is our Faith, and that it is better to suffer any
calamity rather than to lose this precious gift.
Life messages: 1) We need to have salt in our lives: Jesus
declares that, as the salt of the earth, our duty is to purify, preserve and
give flavor to people’s lives by using the blessings given to us instead of
leading others to sin by bad example. 2) As salt penetrates what it is placed
upon, let us penetrate the society around us, radiating Jesus’ love, mercy,
forgiveness, and spirit of service. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 24 Friday:
The context: King Herod had married his brother’s wife,
Herodias, violating the Mosaic Law. John the Baptist showed courage in
condemning the king in public and was beheaded for it. In today’s Gospel, the
Pharisees were setting a trap for Jesus asking whether he agreed with his
cousin John’s position on divorce. Jesus used the occasion to declare
unequivocally that the bond of marriage comes from God, and that it is
permanent and indissoluble: “What God has joined, man must not separate.” Today’s
Gospel gives Christ’s explicit teaching on marriage and divorce, the Divine
origin of marriage, the sacredness of family life, and the indissolubility of
marriage.
Jesus’ explanation of the Mosaic sanction: Jesus explains
that Moses’ permission for divorce was only a temporary concession; Moses
sought to control the growing rate of divorce in his time by introducing a
law-governed divorce. Jesus adds that it was because of the hard-heartedness of
the Jewish men that Moses allowed such a concession. By denying the man’s right
to divorce, Jesus places the husband and wife on an equal footing in marriage,
and he teaches that no Mosaic regulation dealing with a temporary situation can
alter the permanency and unity of marriage.
Jesus’ clear teaching on divorce: Jesus reminds us that his
doctrine goes back to the original intention of God. Citing the book of
Genesis, Jesus reminds us that God made us male and female and commanded that “the
two shall become one flesh.” He then draws the conclusion that “they
are no longer two, but one body” – partners with equal rights – and
declares that no man is allowed to separate what God has joined together (Mt
19:6).
Catholic teaching: Based on the NT teachings given in Mk
10:1-12, Mt 5:31-32; Mt 19:3-9; Lk 16:18; and 1 Cor 7:10-11, the Catholic
Church teaches that marriage is a Sacrament involving both a sacred and a legal
contract between a man and a woman and, at the same time, a special Covenant
with the Lord. “Divorce is also a grave offense against the natural
law. In addition, it breaks the contract, to which the spouses freely
consented, to live with each other till death…… Divorce is immoral also because
it introduces disorder into the family and into society” (CCC #2384, 2385).
Life messages: 1) Let us keep all families of our parish in
our daily prayers. The mutual understanding and appreciation of the spouses,
their openness and frankness, their spirit of sacrifice, adjustment, tolerance,
their willingness to ask pardon and give pardon, their generosity in forgiving
and forgetting – all these help to make a marriage permanent. 2) Let us also
pray for all divorced men and women in the parish and also for those who have
married again without an annulment, and welcome them as active members of the
parish, although the latter cannot receive Holy Communion. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 25 Saturday: [Saint
Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor of the Church); Saint
Gregory VII, Pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin; BVM]
The context: Today’s Gospel passage describes one of the
loveliest incidents in the Gospel story. Jewish mothers used to bring their
children to the great rabbis that they might pray over the children, especially
on their first birthday. Naturally, mothers wanted the healing touch and
blessing of the most popular rabbi, Jesus. In an attempt to protect their
Master from the crowd of mothers and noisy children, the Apostles started
rebuking them. The passage describes Jesus’ reaction and teaching.
Childlike qualities for entrance into Heaven: By showing his
displeasure at the rough reaction of his apostles, Jesus made it clear that
everyone is equally important to him as a child of God. The mothers came to
Jesus because he was affable, jovial, and approachable. Jesus decided to use
the occasion as a teachable moment. He taught his disciples that entry into
Heaven demands the childlike qualities of humility, innocence, obedience, total
trust in a loving and providing God, confidence in the essential goodness of
people, and readiness to forgive and forget. “To be little you have to believe
as children believe, to love as children love, to abandon yourself as children
do…, to pray as children pray” (St. J. Escriva).
Life messages: 1) Let us live in the awareness that we are
the children of a loving and providing Heavenly Father and that by Baptism we
are members of God’s family. Hence, we are expected to behave well every day as
worthy children of a Holy Father. 2) Let us pray for all children in our
families and for all our young parishioners, and let us find time to cooperate
in the parish ministries meant for children and young people.
(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
