All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer, together with some women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
Saint Luke seems to mention, almost in passing, that "Mary the mother of Jesus" was with the disciples when they gathered in the Cenacle after the Lord's Ascension. But he was a true artist who did nothing "in passing;" The Church would amplify this detail; many icons present the twelve apostles sitting together with Mary at their head.
Annunciation. Just as she had conceived the Lord in her womb many years before, she was there as the Church was born in the Upper Room. She would remain always as the inspiration of the Church. Indeed, we cannot imagine our faith without her.
To anyone who doubts the humanity of Jesus -- and there have been innumerable challenges in every age and from many quarters -- Mary reminds us that he is a man like us in all things but sin. And the phrase "but sin" reminds us that sin is not, and is never, necessary. Sinning is an inhuman thing to do; and we have no excuse for it. Making excuses only wastes precious time.
The Blessed Mother, by her presence in the room, anchored the disciples of Jesus in a past which they had not witnessed. He was a boy and a young man long before He called them to abandon their former lives and follow him. He was never like the Lone Ranger, appearing in the moment with neither a past nor a future. He was, as Saint John reminds us and she knew, the Word made flesh and the Son of God from all eternity. And, as He was God's only begotten Son, He was her only conceived son, born of her womb and suckled at her breasts.
Saint Francis, in his salutation of the Blessed Mother, would call her "...daughter and handmaid of the Most High Sovereign King, our Heavenly Father, Mother of our most holy Lord Jesus Christ, and Spouse of the Holy Spirit." The sainted Assissan saw her in a physical relationship to each Person of the Holy Trinity: daughter, mother, and spouse.
Catholics, in particular, know this divinely inspired physical relationship to God through the matter of our Eucharist, which is no longer bread and wine but the flesh and blood of Our Savior. And through that relationship to the Lord, Mary is our mother, the Mother of the Church. How could she not be there at the birth of our Church in Jerusalem?
We have passed through the ninety days of Easter and reentered Ordinary Time, but refreshed and renewed through Sacraments and ceremonies to a livelier faith, hope, and love in the practice of our religion. Praise God for the future with the challenges that lie before us.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.