AT TABLE WITH OUR MOTHER. Reflection #12 on Pope Francis’ 2022 Apostolic Letter, ‘Desiderio Desideravi,’ Latin for Jesus’ pre-Last Supper words: “I have earnestly desired [to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.”] [Luke 22:15] focuses on our Blessed Mother who joins us in our weekly gatherings. For past articles in this series on the three-year National Eucharistic Revival [this is article #41!] and the Holy Father’s Letter, visit our Parish website.
BEHOLD, YOUR MOTHER. By entrusting His Mother to the Beloved Disciple [John 19:25-27] Jesus gave His Mother to every disciple. Some speculate that at least two women attended the Last Supper with the Twelve Apostles, but Luke 22:8 specifies that two disciples Jesus sent to make the preparations were Peter and John. Although our Blessed Mother was often with her Son, and courageously stood at the foot of His Cross, she was probably not at the Last Supper.
However, like all mothers who rejoice to hear their babies say their first words and see them take their first steps, the Bible assures us that our Blessed Mother enjoyed both these – first, after her Son was born in the flesh, and again, after His new Body, the Church, was born. As recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, she was present in the Upper Room where the Apostles, the first Priests, echoed her Son’s words over bread and wine. How proud and thrilled she must have been to see them emulate the actions Jesus did at the first Consecration. We can only imagine how awesome it must have been for her to receive Him back into her body, where He had lived for nine months in her womb!
And since no loving mother ever abandons her children or stops caring for them, we can be assured of our Blessed Mother’s concern for us! As the Preface for the BVM, Image and Mother of the Church – reminds us: “Raised to the glory of heaven, she accompanies your pilgrim Church with a mother’s love and watches in kindness over the Church’s homeward steps.” No wonder every Catholic Church that I know of has at least one icon or image, portrait or picture, statue or shrine honoring our Blessed Mother.
MAKE OUR MOTHER PROUD AND HAPPY. Please bear with me as I carry this imagery [which is truly a reality!] to the next level. One of my mother’s greatest wishes and joys was to have all five of her children gathered at the same table for a meal. Not just on special occasions, but each week for the Sunday family dinner – which was once obligatory, as was holy Mass! And it was an added blessing to her if we got through that meal without any arguments, divisive issues or tensions. Would not our Blessed Mother want these same things from those who claim to be children of our Heavenly Father, brothers and sisters in and of her Son Jesus, and Temples of the Holy Spirit?
What sadness it must cause our Blessed Mother when so many excuse themselves for any reason, or do not even plan to join with the rest of the family! How often we sadly say of our Church Family what we say of our personal family: that we only get together for weddings and funerals – and so many are getting married ‘outside the Church’ and not having a Funeral Mass or any religious rites at the time of death! [A word to the wise: it is not unusual for weekly or even daily Mass-goers to have NO Funeral Mass or any religious rites because their non-churched next-of-kin do not want it! You can easily preplan and prepay your Funeral Mass and other Rites through the Parish Office so that your Parish Family can bid you farewell and join in offering the holy Mass for the salvation of your soul!]
From the moment of His conception, Jesus was safe in His Mother’s womb; from the moment of her inception, the Church has been safe within her heart. As she helped Jesus speak His first words and take His first steps, she helped the Church speak our first words and take our first steps. Her attentive acceptance of the Archangel Gabriel’s message, which was God’s Word, teaches us to listen for and heed God’s word which comes to us through Sacred Scripture, especially when it is proclaimed at holy Mass. As her faith enabled God’s Word to become Flesh, we enable God’s word to come alive by following her example. These analogies can go on and on, but by now, I hope you get the point! Holy Mary, Mother of God and our Mother … pray for us!
With God’s love and my prayers,
Very Rev. Michael J. Kreder, VF, KCHS