Pentecost is traditionally seen as the birthday of the Church. Pentecost is the day that the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles and disciples assembled together in the Upper Room. They had been praying for 9 days after Jesus ascended in to heaven. They had gone in to the Upper Room with sadness because the Lord was no longer with them. They were weak and unsure or what to do. They prayed their novena and the Spirit came and filled them and they left the Upper Room in joy and in strength and with a sense of purpose that they never had before. The Church was truly born that day. As we celebrate Pentecost we must look at the life of the Holy Spirit within our own lives. We should give thanks and praise for all that the Spirit has given us and we should also be resolved to be more open to the Spirit and its gifts and fruits. Reading the book of Acts is a great place to start.
The scriptures tell us that the Blessed Virgin Mary was present in the Upper Room with the Apostles and disciples praying for and receiving the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. You can picture Mary gathered there with all of her son’s friends. At first she must have been disappointed in the Apostles for the way they had abandoned her Son at the cross. She was probably concerned that all that Jesus had done was now in jeopardy due to the lack luster Apostles. Yet, she was there with them, praying with them and most likely praying for them. She must have looked upon them as a mother looks upon their children, encouraging them and hoping and praying that they would become what God called them to be. How joyous she must have been seeing the power of the Holy Spirit coming down upon them and empowering them. I am sure she was a proud mother looking at the growth in her children. She herself is the spouse of the Holy Spirit. She knew the Holy Spirit and was now empowered again to be part of the birth of new life, the new life that the Church was called to be. We can never separate Mary from the great day of Pentecost. Her being there was part of the plan and action of the Spirit to make the Church the true Body of Christ.
How beautiful it is that this year we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost on Sunday and then the next day celebrate the NEW memorial feast of Mary Mother of the Church. The title Mary Mother of the Church goes back to the beginnings of the early church. We first see it written down by Saint Ambrose of Milan (340-397). He was appointed Bishop of Milan in 374. Over the ages the title has been used in many places.
In recent times, Pope Paul VI, himself a former Bishop of Milan, closed the third session of Vatican II using words similar to St. Ambrose saying, “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.”
In 1981, shortly after his assassination attempt, Pope John Paul II had a mosaic of Mary Mother of the Church installed on a building facing St. Peter’s Square as a tribute to her intercession in saving his life. In 1987 he repeated this title in his encyclical Redemptoris Mater. Pope John Paul II also had a monastery built in the Vatican dedicated to Mary Mother of the Church (1990). Presently Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI lives in this monastery. In 1997 Pope John Paul II devoted a Wednesday general audience to the title, Mary, Mother of the Church.
Although many Popes and Bishops and ancient writers used the title Mary, Mother of the Church, the Church’s calendar did not have a universal memorial feast celebrating that title. Some countries celebrated the feast, but it wasn’t until this year that a Universal feast was set. Pope Francis declared that the Monday after Pentecost would be celebrated as Mary, Mother of the Church. I pray that we learn to celebrate by remembering the very close link between Mary and the Holy Spirit. We also need to see the motherly love of Mary for the Church. Mary is our mother.
The gospel reading set for the new feast is John 19:25-31. This gospel reading contains the familiar story of Mary and John at the foot of the cross. “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” We can see how Jesus shared His mother with John, and by extension, with us. We need to take Mary in to our home. She can help us grow closer to her son Jesus and she can help us be open to the Holy Spirit and receive its fruits and gifts. Thank you Jesus for sharing your mother with us. Happy Pentecost, and Happy Birthday. God is good.