This is the first year we are celebrating the Memorial of Mary Mother of the Church. Before the Second Vatican Council Pentecost was celebrated as an octave, and following the Council Monday was kept as a secular holiday. It was called Whit Monday because those who were recently baptised would show off their white garments. Mary as Mother and Model of the Church is a relatively recent Theological development in response to the question posed by the modern world of the Church’s identity. What or who is the Church? The modern separation of the person of Jesus from the reality of the Church has led many to see the Church as irrelevant or unnecessary. The Church – understanding the mystery of her union with Christ – must now understand who she is for the world. Lumen Gentium – the dogmatic constitution on the Church – introduced some of the strong themes of the identity of the Church. The Virgin Mary, in this context, becomes the strongest model for our faith of who and what the Church is.
Pentecost Sunday
The person of the Holy Spirit is so simple that He cannot be expressed or explained so as to be understood. The Spirit makes Himself known to those who receive Him with a willing heart. The Spirit is strong love that penetrates the dark place of our heart that still fears death will have the last word. The Spirit comes to us to lift us above and through the struggles and despair we perceive around us, spreading hope like fire. The Spirit makes it easy and joyful to stand for what is right and speak the words of fire that burn from the heart of God. The Spirit accomplishes our union with the Father and the Son while at the same time completing the mission He has in the world through us. May we all burn with divine fire and experience the love of God beyond limit.
Saturday of the Seventh Week of Easter
This part of the Gospel according to John provides an interesting insight into the continuity of the Christian life from the Passion through Pentecost and beyond. John is to remain just as Jesus Himself remains, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the consummation of the world.” The Love and connection that united John with Jesus at the Last Supper as he rested upon the Sacred Heart comes to define not only who John is for Jesus, but also who John is as a Christian and who John is for us. Peter’s question and Jesus’ response invite us to discover who John is in a deeper way.