May 25 Monday: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church: Jn 19: 25-34:
(Gen 3:9-15, 20; Acts
1:12-14; Jn 19:25-34):
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, the 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 Church which states 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:
Mary 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 25
Monday Reflection for Memorial Day (USA): Memorial Day is a United
States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 31st in
2026), honoring those who gave their lives in the Armed Services. Formerly,
this day was known as Decoration Day from the custom of
decorating the tombs and gravesites of the soldiers and of one’s own family
members. Today we remember with pride and gratitude all the U.S. men and women
who died while in the military service.
Memorial Day was first established to
honor Union soldiers of
the American Civil War.
Later, after World War I, the Memorial
was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action. Many
people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment
of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m., Eastern Time.
Another tradition is to fly the flag of the
United States at half-staff from dawn
until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite
at National
Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other people who
have died after fighting their life’s battle and gone for their eternal
reward. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4: 7).
Memorial Day is a day
to remember the promises made and kept by our national heroes. They promised to
keep the unity and integrity of our nation and freedom of other nations. They
kept their promise with their blood. We believe in Jesus who hailed the willingness
to lay down one’s life for others as the quintessence of true love. We also
believe in Jesus’ promise at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the
Resurrection and the Life; whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he”
(Jn 11:26; RSV2Catholic). We pray that Jesus may grant eternal rest
and reward for all our fallen heroes. (Fr. Tony)
May 26 Tuesday: Mk
10:32-45: 32
And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead
of them; and they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking
the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him … 33 45
The context: For the third time, (Mk 8:31,
9:31, 10:32), Jesus predicts his own death. In spite of Jesus’ two previous
predictions, James and John, still sharing the Jewish belief that the Messiah
would be a political king sitting on David’s throne and ruling over a re-united
Israel, consider Jesus to be a revolutionary freedom-fighter. They are sure
that Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem is being made to overthrow the Roman
rulers. Hence, James and John want an assurance from Jesus that he will make
them his first and second in command in his Messianic Kingdom.
The request and
the reaction: James
and John are mistaken in their understanding of leadership roles in Christ’s
Church as positions of power and prestige. Hence, Jesus challenges them
asking, “Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized
with the baptism that I am baptized with?” Jesus uses the images of
the cup and baptism to describe the price to be paid. Jesus insists that his
disciples must drink from his cup of suffering if they want to reign with him
in his kingdom. Without fully understanding what Jesus means, James and John
quickly affirm that they can share in their master’s cup and baptism. They have
no understanding of the personal cost that lies behind these two images.
A challenge to
achieve greatness through humble, sacrificial service: Jesus tells his disciples plainly
what his mission is, how he is going to accomplish it and what the criterion
for greatness among his disciples should be. He summarizes his mission in one
sentence: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many.”Jesus also explains that he is going
to accomplish his mission by undergoing crucifixion, offering himself as a
sacrifice to save people from their sins. Hence, he challenges his apostles to
share not only his power, but his service, by sacrificing themselves for others
as he would do. According to Jesus, greatness consists not in what we have, or
in what we can get from others but in what we give to others.
Life Messages: 1) We are challenged to give
our lives in loving service to others. The best place to begin the process
of “self-giving,” is in our own homes and in the workplace. 2)
We are taught that suffering and service go hand in hand. In today’s Gospel,
Jesus connects service with suffering. First, service always involves suffering
because we can’t help another without some sacrifice on our part. Second, God
always invites those who suffer to put their suffering at the service of others
by uniting it with the suffering of Jesus. Third, we must learn to be sensitive
to the suffering of those around us.
May 27 Wednesday: St.
Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop Mk 10:32-45:
The context: For the third time, (Mk 8:31,
9:31, 10:32), Jesus predicts his own death. In spite of Jesus’ two previous
predictions, James and John, still sharing the Jewish belief that the Messiah
would be a political king sitting on David’s throne and ruling over a re-united
Israel, consider Jesus to be a revolutionary freedom-fighter. They are sure
that Jesus’ final trip to Jerusalem is being made to overthrow the Roman
rulers. Hence, James and John want an assurance from Jesus that he will make
them his first and second in command in the Messianic Kingdom of God.
The request and
the reaction: James
and John are mistaken in their understanding of leadership roles in Christ’s
Church as positions of power and prestige. Hence, Jesus challenges them asking,
“Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism
with which I am baptized?” Jesus uses the images of the cup and
baptism to describe the price to be paid. Jesus insists that his disciples must
drink from his cup of suffering if they want to reign with him in his kingdom.
Without fully understanding what Jesus means, James and John quickly affirm
that they can share in their master’s cup and baptism. They have no
understanding of the personal cost that lies behind these two images. [History
tells us that James was beheaded by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:2), and that John
suffered deeply when he heard regularly for years, of the
persecution of his fellow Christians, saw the rise of heretics in the Churches,
endured exile himself, and saw the deaths of the rest of the Twelve, leaving
him alive, the oldest survivor among them, faithful to the end, dying in his
bed at nearly 100 years old.]
A challenge to
achieve greatness through humble, sacrificial service: Jesus tells his disciples plainly
what his mission is, how he is going to accomplish it and what the criterion
for greatness among his disciples should be. He summarizes his mission in one
sentence: “The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and
to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mk 10:45.) Jesus also explains
that he is going to accomplish his mission by undergoing crucifixion, offering
himself as a sacrifice to save people from their sins. Hence, Jesus challenges
his apostles to share not only his power, but his service, by sacrificing
themselves for others as he would do. According to Jesus, greatness consists,
not in what we have, or in what we can get from others, but in what we give to
others.
Life Messages: 1) We are challenged to give
our lives in loving service to others. The best place to begin the process
of “self-giving,” is in our own homes, classrooms, parishes,
and workplaces. 2) We are taught that suffering and service go hand in hand. In
today’s Gospel, Jesus connects service with suffering. First, service always
involves suffering because we can’t help another without some sacrifice on our
part. Second, God always invites those who suffer to put their suffering at the
service of others by uniting it with the suffering of Jesus. Third, we must
learn to be sensitive to the suffering of those around us.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 28 Thursday:
Mk 10: 46-52:
The context: Jesus was on his way to
celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem along with a band of pilgrims. It was
customary for rabbis to teach the pilgrims on the way. The pilgrims were
generous in giving alms to the beggars on the roadside. Bartimaeus was one of
the blind beggars lined up on the road begging for alms. When he heard people
speaking about the approach of Jesus, the miracle worker from Nazareth, he
started shouting for mercy. He believed that Jesus was the Messiah, the son of
David who could give him eyesight, as foretold by the prophet Isaiah, “The
eyes of the blind will see” (Is 29:18).
Bartimaeus
encounters Jesus: People
walking in front of Jesus listening to his teaching tried, in vain, to silence
Bartimaeus, but finally, he got the attention of Jesus. Jesus was impressed by
Bartimaeus’ declaration of Faith in the healing power of the Messiah, and asked
him what he wanted. Bartimaeus replied, “Master, let me receive my sight.”
Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your Faith has made you well.” Immediately,
he received his sight, and he promptly followed Jesus to Jerusalem as Jesus’
disciple.
Life
messages: 1)
We are very often blinded by our pride and prejudice and our innate tendency to
be judgmental. Hence, we are badly in need of healing from our spiritual
blindness. But we require trusting Faith in the power and mercy of God and the
humility to pray persistently, as Bartimaeus did, to receive healing from God.
We must have the faith to sense the presence of Jesus the healer within us and
pray to Holy Spirit for the anointing to ask for healing. Let us pray for this
grace during the Mass today. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 29 Friday: St.
Paul VI, Pope Mk 11:11-26:
The context: Today’s Gospel gives us the
dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem after
symbolically drying out a fruitless fig tree, which represented the sterility
of Israel and its infidelity to God. He drove out the merchants and money-changers
with moral indignation at their unjust commercialization of God’s House of
Prayer and at their exploitation of poor pilgrims in the name of religion. The
merchants sold animals for sacrifices at exorbitant prices, and the
money-changers charged unjust commissions for the required exchange of pagan
coins for Temple coins. The Temple Jesus cleansed was the Temple in Jerusalem,
originally built by Solomon in 966 BC, rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC after
the Babylonians had destroyed it, and finally renovated by King Herod the Great
starting in 20 BC. The abuses which infuriated Jesus were 1) the conversion of
God’s place of prayer to a noisy marketplace, and 2) the unjust business
practices of animal merchants and money-changers encouraged by the Temple authorities.
Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the animals and the
money-changers, and, in doing this, quoted the prophet Jeremiah, commanding, “Stop
making my Father’s house a marketplace” (Jer 7: 11).
Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the
business mentality of loss and profit in Divine worship. Our relationship with
God must be that of a child to his parent, one of mutual love, respect and the
common good, with no thought of loss or gain. 2) We need to remember that we
are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s
temple by impurity, injustice, pride, hatred or jealousy. 3) We need to love
our parish Church and use it. Our Church is the place where we come together as
a community to praise and worship God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask
pardon and forgiveness for our sins and to offer our lives and petitions on the
altar. Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our prayers and
songs to community worship and by offering our time and talents in the various
ministries of our parish. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
