20200211
MARY,
MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
11 February,
2020, Tuesday, Our Lady of Lourdes
Readings at Mass
Liturgical
Colour: Green.
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First reading
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1 Kings 8:22-23,27-30 ©
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'Listen to the prayer your servant makes in this place'
In the presence
of the whole assembly of Israel, Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord
and, stretching out his hands towards heaven, said, ‘O Lord, God of Israel, not
in heaven above nor on earth beneath is there such a God as you, true to your
covenant and your kindness towards your servants when they walk wholeheartedly
in your way. Yet will God really live with men on the earth? Why, the heavens
and their own heavens cannot contain you. How much less this house that I have
built! Listen to the prayer and entreaty of your servant, O Lord my God; listen
to the cry and to the prayer your servant makes to you today. Day and night let
your eyes watch over this house, over this place of which you have said, “My
name shall be there.” Listen to the prayer that your servant will offer in this
place.
‘Hear
the entreaty of your servant and of Israel your people as they pray in this
place. From heaven where your dwelling is, hear; and, as you hear, forgive.’
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Responsorial
Psalm
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Psalm 83(84):3-5,10-11 ©
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How
lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
My
soul is longing and yearning,
is
yearning for the courts of the Lord.
My
heart and my soul ring out their joy
to
God, the living God.
How
lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
The
sparrow herself finds a home
and
the swallow a nest for her brood;
she
lays her young by your altars,
Lord
of hosts, my king and my God.
How
lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
They
are happy, who dwell in your house,
for
ever singing your praise.
Turn
your eyes, O God, our shield,
look
on the face of your anointed.
How
lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
One
day within your courts
is
better than a thousand elsewhere.
The
threshold of the house of God
I
prefer to the dwellings of the wicked.
How
lovely is your dwelling-place, Lord, God of hosts.
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Gospel
Acclamation
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Ps118:24
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Train
me, Lord, to observe your law,
to
keep it with my heart.
Alleluia!
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Or:
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Ps118:36,29
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Alleluia,
alleluia!
Bend
my heart to your will, O Lord,
and
teach me your law.
Alleluia!
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Gospel
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Mark 7:1-13 ©
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You get round the commandment of God to preserve your own
tradition
The Pharisees and
some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they
noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is,
without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the
tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the
elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first
sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been
handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes.
So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect
the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He
answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this
passage of scripture:
This
people honours me only with lip-service,
while
their hearts are far from me.
The
worship they offer me is worthless,
the
doctrines they teach are only human regulations.
You put aside the
commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How
ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own
tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and,
Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man
says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help
you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God), then he is forbidden from that
moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s
word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down.
And you do many other things like this.’
MARY, MOTHER OF
THE CHURCH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [Isaiah 66:10-14; Judith 13: 18-19; Acts 1:12-14; John 2:1-11]
It is very consoling to
us that when the Lord left us, He left us His mother to be our mother. When He was hanging on the cross,
He “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.'” (Jn 19:26f) Jesus
had always wanted His mother to be the mother of us all. This is
anticipated in today’s gospel reading when Mary said to the Lord, “‘They have
no wine.’ Jesus said, ‘Woman, why turn to me? My hour has not come
yet.’ His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.'”
Indeed, the hour for Mary to perform her role as the Mother of the Church could
only take place after the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord.
That is why with St John
we are called to bring Mary to our home. In Catholic spirituality, we need to give a
place to Mary who is our Mother. Jesus wants us to find comfort and
strength in our devotion to Mary so that like her, we could become perfect
disciples of our Lord. Mary is the perfect disciple of Christ because she
is always doing the will of God. From the incarnation to the paschal
mystery of our Lord, Mary always uttered her “fiat” to God. Just as
she said “yes” to the angel at the Incarnation and gave birth to our Lord, when
the time came for her to surrender her Son at the cross, she was once again in
union with the Lord in saying “yes” again. We can be sure that it was 100
times more difficult to say “yes” at the Cross than at the incarnation.
It is for this reason
that Mary becomes for us the source of strength for the Church.
Jerusalem, which was considered the mother of Israel, is now posited of Mary as
well. So the words of
the Prophet Isaiah would apply to her. “Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for
her, all you who love her! That you may be suckled, filled, from her consoling
breast, that you may savour with delight her glorious breasts. For thus says
the Lord: Now towards her I send flowing peace, like a river, and like a stream
in spate the glory of the nations. At her breast will her nurslings be carried
and fondled in her lap. Like a son comforted by his mother will I comfort
you. At the sight your heart will rejoice, and your bones flourish like
the grass.” Indeed, Mary comes to console us and becomes the channel of
God’s blessings to us. She comes to comfort us and give us peace.
How does she do
it? She prays with us. This was the first thing that Mary did as
the mother of the Church. We
read in the Acts of the Apostles that after Jesus was taken up into heaven, she
gathered the apostles together at the Upper Room in continuous prayer.
Mary as the Mother of Jesus and the Church invites us to pray together as one
Church for God’s will to be done. When the Church is in trouble or when
our brothers and sisters are suffering or when there is a project to be
accomplished or a mission to undertake as that of the early Church, she must
not start immediately to tackle the problems or undertake the task without
first coming together in continuous prayer. This is often the failure of
many of us, be it at our parish, organization or ministry. We have great
plans for the Church, but we do not come together to intercede and to pray
continuously for God’s blessings and guidance.
What Mary teaches us at
the Upper Room is the importance of community prayer. She sets the example of
praying with the apostles. We, too, must also come together as Church to
pray with each other. This is because the Lord said, “Again, truly I tell
you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for
you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my
name, I am there among them.” (Mt 18:19f) This is why Mary in all
her apparitions, including the apparition at Lourdes to St Bernadette, invites
us to pray unceasingly for our conversion and for the good of the Church.
Secondly, Mary teaches
us that the most important prayer is to pray for the Holy Spirit. This was what Mary did with the
apostles. They were gathered in the Upper Room waiting in prayer for the
coming of the Holy Spirit. This was what the Lord said to the
apostles. “He ordered them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait there for
the promise of the Father. You will receive power when the Holy Spirit
has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:4, 8) Mary knew that without the Holy
Spirit, the preaching of the apostles would be powerless and lacks
meaning. Without the Holy Spirit, the gospel remains something of the
past; Jesus becomes a historical figure, and the Church simply another human
organization. But the with Holy Spirit, Jesus lives forever in us and in
the Church, the Church is filled with His Holy Spirit and the Word of God
speaks to us here and now; the sacraments become efficacious signs of God’s
presence and channels of grace.
Indeed, the Wedding at
Cana in Galilee reminds us that Jesus is the completion of our joy. We read that at the wedding, there
were only six jars of water changed into wine. This was because Jesus was
the seventh jar. Wine is always a symbol of joy. It is always drunk
in celebration, especially at a wedding. Wine, therefore, is a symbol of
the Holy Spirit because where the Holy Spirit is, there is joy, love and
abundant life. Jesus comes to give us the New Wine of the Spirit so that
we are filled with the love of God, a love that sends us out to announce and
share His love with others.
Prayer opens the way to
receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In the bible, we always see the close connection between the gift of the Holy
Spirit and prayer. When the apostles prayed, the ground was shaken, and
they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. (cf Acts 4:31) Again, when Saul was praying,
the Lord sent Ananias to him so that he could regain his sight and be filled
with the Holy Spirit. (cf Acts 9:9-11) Then we read that at
Samaria, when the apostles came down and prayed for them, they received the
Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:15)
In the gospel, Jesus assures us, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Lk 11:13)
Thirdly, as our Mother,
she teaches us that when we pray, we should always submit ourselves to the plan
of God. When she told our
Lord that they had no wine, the Lord said to her, “‘Woman, why turn to
me?” We note that Mary did not pressurize her Son to answer her
request. Her prayer was simply to direct Jesus to the needs of the
Wedding Couple. And she left the request in His hands. She did not
dictate to Jesus how she wanted the petition to be answered. She trusted
in Jesus’ judgement and His wisdom. This is how we should all pray as
well. Her advice to us in prayer is clear and simple, “Do whatever he
tells you.” Yes, prayer is always seeking to do God’s will rather than
our own. In prayer, we must listen to God and discern His will for us,
rather than expect Him to do what we want. What is required in prayer is
simply to present our petition, our struggles and desires to the Lord.
But we must trust that He knows what we truly need for our happiness.
Finally, Mary teaches us to wait and be patient when we
pray. We must be persevering in our prayers. Only when we
cling to prayer tenaciously without losing faith, will our prayers be
answered. Mary did not lose confidence in our Lord when He appeared
reluctant to help. Instead, confidently, she told the servants to do
whatever the Lord asked them to do. So, too, the apostles, whenever they
were in trouble or in need, they would turn to the Lord in prayer, and together
with the Christian community, they prayed unceasingly and
perseveringly. Indeed, we must pray in such a way that we never
give up, like the Canaanite woman in the gospel. We must keep on
praying. Like Mary, we must pray with faith, hope and charity. Only
because of faith, can we continue to hope in the Lord’s mercy. And
because of love, we pray that He will answer our prayers. So, today, let
us turn to Mary, our mother who consoles us by being with us in prayer and teaching
us to pray with her and together with each other, for our happiness and that of
the Church.
Written
by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All
Rights Reserved
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