BLESSED THROUGH MARY THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

20160604 BLESSED THROUGH MARY THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

First reading

2 Timothy 4:1-8 ©

Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, call to obedience – but do all with patience and with the intention of teaching. The time is sure to come when, far from being content with sound teaching, people will be avid for the latest novelty and collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; and then, instead of listening to the truth, they will turn to myths. Be careful always to choose the right course; be brave under trials; make the preaching of the Good News your life’s work, in thoroughgoing service.

  As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 70:8-9,14-17,22 ©

My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

My lips are filled with your praise,

  with your glory all the day long.

Do not reject me now that I am old;

  when my strength fails do not forsake me.

My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

But as for me, I will always hope

  and praise you more and more.

My lips will tell of your justice

  and day by day of your help

  (though I can never tell it all).

My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

I will declare the Lord’s mighty deeds

  proclaiming your justice, yours alone.

O God, you have taught me from my youth

  and I proclaim your wonders still.

My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

So I will give you thanks on the lyre

  for your faithful love, my God.

To you will I sing with the harp,

  to you, the Holy One of Israel.

My lips will tell of your justice, O Lord.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Lk8:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are those who,

with a noble and generous heart,

take the word of God to themselves

and yield a harvest through their perseverance.

Alleluia!

Or

Mt5:3

Alleluia, alleluia!

How happy are the poor in spirit:

theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Alleluia!

Gospel

Luke 2:41-51 ©

Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.

  Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’

  ‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.

  He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority. His mother stored up all these things in her heart.

BLESSED THROUGH MARY THE MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ISA 61:9-11; 1 SM 2:1,4-5,6-7; LK 2:4-51  ]

It is God’s desire to bless us and make us His people. This is His plan for humanity.  This is what we read in the first reading from the prophet Isaiah.  “Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed.”  This is what St Paul says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” (Col 1:3-6)

Indeed, yesterday when we celebrated the Feast of the Sacred Heart, we contemplated on the blessings that flow from His heart to the human race.  God’s compassion and mercy in Christ demonstrates the unconditional love of God for us.  Through His death and resurrection, He has won salvation for us. “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us.” (Col 1:7f)  “In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will.” (Col 1:11)  Such have been the blessings received through Christ.

Today, the Church invites us to contemplate on the blessings we receive through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.   She too is the channel of God’s blessings to us.  She was truly a blessing to Jesus in the first place.   Obviously, she plays an essential role in the work of the incarnation in saying ‘Yes’ to God.  She too has been a great blessing to Christ as she provided Him the ambience of a loving home.  But most of all, throughout the life of Jesus and His ministry, Mary was always there to support Him quietly, silently and all the way to the cross.

If Mary could be a source of blessing to Jesus and to us, it was because of the mercy and grace of God.  She is for us an exemplar of what it means to be graced by God.  In no uncertain terms must we say that Mary merited herself as the Mother of the Saviour!  On the contrary, it is purely the favour of God.  That explains why the angel greeted her, saying, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28)  She is favoured by God.  This is the real reason and not for any other reason.  Her holiness and her call to be the Mother of Christ is purely the work of God.  This is what Isaiah says in the first reading. “I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” So the Lord has blessed Mary.

But she was not only blessed, she cooperated with the grace of God by not hindering the grace of God from working in and through her.  She was completely docile to the grace of God, not allowing her will to cross the will of God.  Her whole life was one of total obedience to the will of God.  She is, as the first reading makes it clear, “For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.”  It must be noted that it is the Lord who is the cause of all blessings and who makes all things possible.  The psalmist says, “It is the Lord who gives life and death, he brings men to the grave and back; it is the Lord who gives poverty and riches. He brings men low and raises them on high.”

We, too, in the light of this truth before us should also be aware that we are blessed in her as well if we recognize that all we have are given to us by God.  There is nothing for us to boast about except to be docile to the Lord’s will in passing on the blessings we have received to others.  Like Abraham and Mary, we are never chosen for ourselves but to be channels of blessings to the world.  It is never for one’s glory, honour or simply to have a good life.  So no one, if he wants to be truly blessed, can keep the blessings, the resources, wealth and talents for himself, or even for his loved ones alone.  Everything we have must be used to bless others.

How, then, can we acquire this disposition of Mary to be a source of blessing to others?  Firstly, we must be people of faith like her.  Abraham is the Father of Faith.  Through his faith, Abraham blessed all the generations after him.  God made this promise to him, “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  (Gn 12:2f)  When a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!”  Jesus replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Lk 11:27f) Mary is blessed and we are blessed through her, because she, like Father Abraham in faith, responded to the Word of God.  By blessing her with the gift of divine motherhood, Mary acknowledged in her song of thanksgiving that God has shown that “He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”  (Lk 1:54f)

Secondly, to acquire the blessings of God, we must always seek the Lord above all things.  We read in the gospel how Mary sought her Son anxiously.  Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.”  The whole life of Mary was focused on the Lord.  Like most mothers, she lived for her Son, died for her Son; and did everything, gave her all to her Son and Lord.  In other words, if her heart is truly immaculate, it is because she consecrated herself entirely, mind, body and spirit to her Son; sharing in His mission and the work of redemption without complaint and without seeking for her glory.  Indeed, in the magnificat, she said, “His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.” (Lk 1:50)   Do we love God above all things?  Do we love Him above all others?  This was what Jesus asked St Peter.  Only if the answer is in the affirmative, could Jesus say to us, “Feed my lamb.  Feed my sheep.” (Cf Jn 21:15-17)

Thirdly, she continues to contemplate on her Son day and night.  We read that in the Temple they found Jesus, “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.”  Jesus, by asking the teachers the questions, showed on one hand, His humility in wanting to learn, considering that He was a young boy.  But on the other hand, the wisdom of Jesus was shown in the questions He asked.  Wisdom and intelligence is more than just being able to answer the questions or to give the right answers.  More importantly, the wisdom of a person is demonstrated in him or her asking the right and pertinent questions.  Unless we have the right questions, we will get the wrong answers!   So Jesus must have surprised not just the teachers but His parents by His perceptive understanding of the Laws in the way He raised the questions.  St Luke states, “And when they saw him they were astonished.”

Fourthly, Mary was surely inspired by the singular mindedness, devotion and commitment of our Lord to His heavenly Father.  He was so sure of His identity and who the Father was.  At such a tender age when even many of our young people are still wondering about the meaning of life and what their vocation in life is, Jesus was clear of His calling and His identity.  He told His parents, “How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”   If we want to be blessed and be fruitful in life, we must be focused on our vocation.  A rolling stone gathers no moss.  Many of us lack that tenacity in doing the will of God, living out our vocation, right to the end with perseverance, regardless.

So as we celebrate the blessings that we have received through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, let continue to contemplate on the Lord and our lives as Mary did, seeking clarity and wisdom in doing His will.  For this is what the Lord is asking of us.  We might not be able to understand His plan for us all at once but there is always the law of gradualness in how we grow in perception of His will and plan for us.  This is what was said of Mary, “And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart.” It will do well for us if we, like Mary, just continue to ponder in love and faith each day, and respond to His grace.

Finally, if we could just be like Mary, trusting in the power of God and relying on His strength, walking by faith not by sight, we too will be able to find true happiness in life.  As the psalmist says, “The bows of the mighty are broken, but the weak are clothed with strength. Those with plenty must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has children now but the fruitful wife bears no more.” Such are the marvelous works of God for those who trust Him.  With patience, let us with Mary say with the psalmist, “My heart exults in the Lord.  I find my strength in my God.  My mouth laughs at my enemies as I rejoice in your saving help.”

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved