First reading Genesis 3:9-15,20
The mother of all those who live
After Adam had eaten of the tree the Lord God called to him. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’
Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,
‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,
all wild beasts.
You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust
every day of your life.
I will make you enemies of each other:
you and the woman,
your offspring and her offspring.
It will crush your head
and you will strike its heel.’
The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.
Responsorial Judith 13
R: You are the highest honour of our race
May you be blessed my daughter, by God Most High,
beyond all women on earth,
and may the Lord God be blessed,
the creator of heaven and earth
The trust you have shown shall not pass from the memories of men,
but shall ever remind them of the power of God.
Gospel John 19:25-34
‘Behold your son. Behold your mother.’
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.
After this, Jesus knew that everything had now been completed, and to fulfil the scripture perfectly he said, ‘I am thirsty.’
A jar full of vinegar stood there, so putting a sponge soaked in the vinegar on a hyssop stick they held it up to his mouth. After Jesus had taken the vinegar he said, ‘It is accomplished’; and bowing his head he gave up his spirit.
It was Preparation Day, and to prevent the bodies remaining on the cross during the sabbath – since that sabbath was a day of special solemnity – the Jews asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken away. Consequently the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with him and then of the other. When they came to Jesus, they found he was already dead, and so instead of breaking his legs one of the soldiers pierced his side with a lance; and immediately there came out blood and water.
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“Here is your mother”
Today, we celebrate the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church, which
Pope Francis added in 2018 to the liturgical calendar of the Church. As
we celebrate this day with Mother Mary, let us rejoice that she is the
mother to all Christians and us personally.
Pope Francis added in 2018 to the liturgical calendar of the Church. As
we celebrate this day with Mother Mary, let us rejoice that she is the
mother to all Christians and us personally.
In the gospel, Jesus, on the cross, gave His mother to “the disciple whom
He loved”. This beloved disciple represents all of us today, and He tells
us the same as He told him, “This is your mother”. Jesus then looked at
His mother and said, “Woman, this is your son”. At the foot of the cross,
Mary becomes the mother of Jesus’ disciples. In our following of Jesus,
we need the presence of Mary. She, as our mother, is our constant
companion who supports and guides us in our life journey. Jesus knows
that we need her presence, and thus, He gives her to us. Let us
appreciate and recognise the motherly presence of Mary in our lives.
He loved”. This beloved disciple represents all of us today, and He tells
us the same as He told him, “This is your mother”. Jesus then looked at
His mother and said, “Woman, this is your son”. At the foot of the cross,
Mary becomes the mother of Jesus’ disciples. In our following of Jesus,
we need the presence of Mary. She, as our mother, is our constant
companion who supports and guides us in our life journey. Jesus knows
that we need her presence, and thus, He gives her to us. Let us
appreciate and recognise the motherly presence of Mary in our lives.
Question for reflection:
Do I appreciate and recognise the motherly presence of Mary in my life?
Do I appreciate and recognise the motherly presence of Mary in my life?
Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Sandra Seow FMVD.
