Daily Catholic Lectio
Mon, 9 June 2025
Mary, Mother of the Church – Memorial
Acts 1:12-14. John 19:25-34
Unity and Intercession
“Together with Mary, the mother of Jesus, they all joined in continuous prayer with one heart and mind.” (cf. Acts 1:14)
Following the solemnity of Pentecost Sunday, Pope Francis in 2018 instituted the Monday after Pentecost as the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. This title, however, was officially conferred upon Mary by Pope St. Paul VI in 1964. It applies to Mary in three distinct dimensions: (a) As Mother of Christ, who is the Head of the Church; (b) As Mother of all believers, who are born anew of water and the Spirit—for at the foot of the Cross, Jesus entrusted His mother to the beloved disciple; (c) As the exemplar of faith, who prays in unity with the apostles at the birth of the Church.
Mary stands as a link between Jesus and His disciples. After His Resurrection, she remains with the apostles, offering them the model of intercessory prayer. Trusting in Jesus’ promise—“Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in their midst” (Matt 18:20)—Mary brings the Lord’s presence to the upper room through her prayer.
It was in this upper room that the missionary activity of the early Church began. Mary, as the first missionary disciple, leads the apostles into prayer, unity, and the beginning of proclamation. Her example teaches us that communion, intercession, and evangelization are the foundational marks of the Church.
Pope Francis reminds us: “Christian life must be rooted in the mystery of the Cross and the self-giving love of Christ in the Eucharist. Mary is the Mother of the Redeemer and of all the redeemed.”
At the Cross, when Jesus entrusts Mary to the beloved disciple, we witness Mary’s own helplessness. Yet, she becomes a light of faith to the apostles. In our own lives, we too face this helplessness—loneliness, rejection, suffering, illness, loss. Mary’s way through such emptiness is the way of persistent prayer, opening us to divine consolation and strength.
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
In her total surrender, Mary is raised by God from servant to Mother of the Church.
Fr. Yesu Karunanidhi
Archdiocese of Madurai
Missionary of Mercy
Yesu Karunanidhi 
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