VENERATING THE MOTHER OF JESUS in the Church means learning from her to become a community that prays: this is one of the essential marks in the first description of the Christian community as delineated in the Acts of the Apostles. Mary invites us to expand the dimensions of prayer, to turn to God not only in times of need and not only for ourselves, but also in an undivided, persevering, faithful way, with ‘one heart and soul.’ The Mother of Jesus was placed by the Lord in the decisive moments of salvation history, and she always knew how to respond with complete availability – the fruit of a profound bond with God that had matured through assiduous and intense prayer. Between the Friday of the Passion and the Sunday of the Resurrection, the beloved disciple, and with him the entire community of disciples, was entrusted to her. Between Ascension and Pentecost, she is found with and in the Church in prayer. As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary exercises her maternity until the end of history. Let us entrust every phase of our personal and ecclesial lives to her, not the least of which is our final passing. Mary teaches us the necessity of prayer, and she shows us that it is only through a constant, intimate, loving bond with her Son that we may courageously leave ‘our home,’ ourselves, in order to reach the ends of the earth and everywhere announce the Lord Jesus, the Saviour of the world. BENEDICT XVI
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 02:35:04 +0000
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