20250609 MOTHER OF ALL THOSE WHO LIVE
09 June 2025, Mary, Mother of the Church
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 Psalm | Psalm 86(87) |
Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!
On the holy mountain is his city
cherished by the Lord.
The Lord prefers the gates of Zion
to all Jacob’s dwellings.
Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!
Of you are told glorious things,
O city of God!
‘Zion shall be called “Mother”
for all shall be her children.’
Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!
It is he, the Lord Most High,
who gives each his place.
In his register of peoples he writes:
‘These are her children,’
and while they dance they will sing:
‘In you all find their home.’
Of you are told glorious things, O city of God!
Gospel Acclamation |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Happy are you, holy Virgin Mary, and most worthy of all praise,
for from you arose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
Alleluia!
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.
MOTHER OF ALL THOSE WHO LIVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [GENESIS 3:9-15,20 / ACTS 1:12-14; JOHN 19:25-34]
We have just completed the season of Easter with the conclusion of the Feast of Pentecost. Easter is the celebration of new life in Christ Jesus. During these last seven weeks, we have been contemplating on the resurrection of Christ – how He rose from the dead, appeared to His disciples and gave them a new lease of hope and life. Most of all, we read how the Risen Lord continued to work in the lives of the early Christians after Pentecost, when they received the Holy Spirit.
Indeed, it is amazing that the disciples, even though they were persecuted and some even martyred, saw their faith continue to grow from strength to strength. One might have expected that, since being a Christian seemed to be a great disadvantage, the community would have diminished and disappeared altogether. Instead, more and more members were added to their community.
The growth of the Church and the gift of life to those who were converted to the Lord is but the realization of the promise God made to Adam and Eve after their fall. This we read in today’s first reading. “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 victory over sin and death was won by the offspring of the woman. So much so, we read that “The man named his wife ‘Eve’ because she was the mother of all those who live.”
Eve has given life to humanity. Adam and Eve were our first parents from whom we receive our life but death as well because of their sin of disobedience. They were too proud to listen to God and obey Him. Instead they wanted things their way. They thought they knew better how to grow in knowledge and understanding by eating the forbidden fruit in the middle of the garden. It was their pride and false independence that led them to such a situation. As a consequence, all the descendants share in their fallen nature being deprived of the preternatural gifts of infused knowledge, integrity of will, freedom from pain and death.
Thanks to our Blessed Mother Mary, she made it possible for God to save us through His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Being full of grace – not by her own merit but by God’s goodness – she walked in faith and love. When the time came for her to be called to be the Mother of the Saviour, she responded in faith, humility and courage, accepting the will of God. Her obedience reversed the disobedience of Adam and Eve. In saying “Yes” to the Lord, she made it possible for our Lord to be incarnated into the world so that He could save us by sharing our humanity and our struggles, and above all, by overcoming sin and death through His passion, death and resurrection.
For this reason, the Church calls Mary, the new Eve. She is the mother of all who live. She fulfils the prophecy in which God announced the grace of salvation that followed humanity’s fall from grace. God has never abandoned His creation, regardless how sinful and ungrateful humanity might be. God never gives up hope on us. Mary was chosen to be the mother of all who live. But the truth is that all of us live, not primarily because of Mary, but because of her Son. It is Jesus who is the life-giver. He comes to give us life abundantly.
Mary, however, is the Co-Redemptrix because she shared intimately in the suffering of Christ and was united with Him in the redemption of humanity. She truly deserves the title of the New Eve, not only because she prepared and supported Jesus in His ministry, but also because she remained with Him throughout His passion, death and resurrection. But how did she live out her title as the New Eve, the Mother of all who live, after the Passion and death of our Lord?
In today’s gospel, Jesus made her the Mother of the Church: “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.”
Scripture scholars tell us that the evangelist uses the word “woman” for Mary because this word is closely related to the woman of Genesis, and also in the book of Revelation, where the woman symbolizes both the Church and Mary. Mary is therefore called to be the Mother of the Church because she gave her life to Jesus, and Jesus in turn makes possible the new people of God by giving us new life through His death and resurrection.
We remember also that in the evangelist’s mind, the Passion of our Lord is the moment when Mary fully assumes her role as the Mother of the Church – not just mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the wedding at Cana in Galilee, when Mary interceded for the couple who had run out of wine, Jesus said, “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.” (Jn 2:4) But at the hour of His Passion – His glorification – He entrusted her to John as his mother. John, who is never mentioned by name, symbolizes the perfect disciple of our Lord and therefore every Christian.
That this is the case could be seen in today’s first reading when our Blessed Mother assumed her motherhood by gathering the disciples – who felt orphaned after Jesus’ departure – into one community. “After Jesus was taken up into heaven the apostles went back from the Mount of Olives, as it is called, to Jerusalem, a short distance away, no more than a sabbath walk; and when they reached the city they went to the upper room where they were staying. All these joined in continuous prayer, together with several women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers.” Indeed, Mary showed her motherly care for the disciples by gathering them together in prayer as they prepared to receive the Holy Spirit.
As a mother, she did not simply offer support; her main instrument of love for us all, as at Cana in Galilee, is to intercede for us all. For this reason, we turn to our Mother and ask for her intercession for our needs. We are confident that Mary would pray for us, especially those in need – as testified by many who have turned to her for help and had their prayers answered. We too must cultivate this devotion to our Blessed Mother at every moment of our lives. Our Holy Father and his predecessors have all shown deep love for the Blessed Mother and frequently turn to her for help, especially in their ministry to the Church. We, too, if we want to be effective in our missionary activities and ministry and work, must turn to Mary and ask for her prayers and blessings.
Finally, like her, we must give life to others through our service and love. That is what Mary did when Elizabeth was pregnant in her old age. She went to her house not just to help her but to bring Jesus to her and her son, John the Baptist. She was always a life-giver, never hindering the mission of others, especially that of her Son. She always put others before herself, whether it was Elizabeth or Jesus. Let us pray that we, too, will give hope and encouragement to those around us. May we follow her example in reaching out beyond ourselves.
Indeed, we rejoice with the psalmist as well when we pray: “On the holy mountain is his city cherished by the Lord. The Lord prefers the gates of Zion to all Jacob’s dwellings. Of you are told glorious things, O city of God! ‘Zion shall be called “Mother” for all shall be her children.’ It is he, the Lord Most High, who gives each his place. In his register of peoples he writes: ‘These are her children,’ and while they dance they will sing: ‘In you all find their home.'” May the entire Church, with Mary, become a mother to all the living and to all humanity.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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