Today, as we reenter in the Ordinary Time, we celebrate the memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, or Mater Ecclesiae. In the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, we are presented with the life of Our Blessed Mother and the Apostles after the Pentecost Day. They gathered in prayer in the supper room, where they “devoted themselves with one accord to prayer” (Acts 1: 12-14) with other followers of Christ.
In the Gospel, we find Mary at the foot of the Cross of Jesus, during the event of Good Friday.
With our celebration of Pentecost feast, the ministry of Church is rekindled. We are sent out to “Go and make a difference” in the world. We are reminded that we are never alone, since the Holy Spirit continues to renew the face of the earth.
Like the Apostles, let us find ourselves with our Blessed Mother in prayers. The relationship between us and Mary should be strong, unbreakable. It is always between Mary and Us. We are mandated by Jesus to protect one another, to love one another and to respect one another. We are her sons and daughters and she is our Mother. May we never abandon our call, our vocation. The Holy Spirit is there to help us and to renew our world.
Pope Francis offered advice on how to distinguish the voice of the Holy Spirit from “the voice of the spirit of evil.”
“The Holy Spirit will never tell you that on your journey everything is going just fine. … No, he corrects you; he makes you weep for your sins; he pushes you to change, to fight against your lies and deceptions, even when that calls for hard work, interior struggle and sacrifice.”
“Whereas the evil spirit, on the contrary, pushes you to always do what you think and you find pleasing. He makes you think that you have the right to use your freedom any way you want. Then, once you are left feeling empty inside – it is bad, this feeling of emptiness inside, many of us have felt it – and when you are left feeling empty inside, he blames you, becomes the accuser, and throws you down, destroys you.”
“The Holy Spirit, correcting you along the way, never leaves you lying on the ground, never. He takes you by the hand, comforts you and constantly encourages you.”
Dear friends, let us all therefore seek the Lord with renewed heart, faith and commitment, following His own Mother, Mary, the Mother of the Church, who is also our own Mother.
