Genesis 3:9–15, 20; Psalm 87; John 19:25–34
Today, we honour Mary as Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae). At the foot of the Cross, Jesus gave us His mother, saying: “Behold your mother” (John 19:27). When the apostles fled, Mary stood firm. She stood then, and she stands now with the Church in every crucible and with you in every storm.
She is the same woman clothed with the sun in Revelation 12 and she is still waging war for her children today. The dragon rages because her influence endures! Beloved, don’t just admire Mary, align with her, She’s not just a statue in your parish, she is a strategy in our warfare. A great intercessor and adviser (John 2:5).
Mary was there in the Upper room and she was also there at Pentecost, praying, waiting, birthing the Church again in the Spirit. She is the only woman present at both births, the birth of Christ (Luke 2:6-7) and the birth of His Church (Acts 1:14). We celebrate her to recognize her divine collaboration in Christ’s mission. If the God the Son needed her to come into the world, then we need her to stay alive in the Spirit.
Prayer
O God, Father of mercies, whose Only Begotten Son, as He hung upon the Cross, gave us His own mother to be ours also, grant that through her loving intercession, we may be fruitful, fervent, and fearless, bringing all peoples into the arms of Your mercy. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr. Daniel Evbotokhai
