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Monday, June 1 Memorial of the Blessed Mary, Mother of the Spiritual Thought of the Day Mary’s example of faithful perseverance in doing the will of and her heavenly reward are a source of courage and hope for all of us. Emeritus Benedict XVI

Today’s – John 19:25-34 Standing by the cross of were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. Now since it was preparation day, in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath, for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken and they be taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

Reflection on Today’s Gospel The title “” (Mater Ecclesiae) was applied to the mother of Jesus by Pope Paul VI in November 1964 at the close of the . The title was first used in the 4th century by of and more recently the title was favoured by Pope John Paul II and then incorporated into the of the Church.

It is closely linked to Mary’s being at the heart of that prayerful group of apostles and disciples in the upper room, awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). Specifically, her maternal role towards Christ’s faithful is founded on the words spoken by Jesus from the cross to the Beloved Disciple, who represents all future disciples: Behold your mother [John 19:27]. As John Paul II wrote: “In her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church.” In March 2018, inserted into the Roman Calendar the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to be celebrated each year on the Monday after .

“The Church is feminine,” Pope Francis said in [one of his ], “she is a mother.” When this trait is lacking, he continued, the Church resembles merely “a charitable organization, or a football team”. A too masculine Church, he said, sadly becomes “a church of old bachelors, incapable of love, incapable of fruitfulness.” The Pope assigned the feast to the Monday immediately following Pentecost, “to encourage the growth of the maternal sense of the Church in the pastors, religious and faithful, as well as a growth of genuine Marian .” Taken from associationofcatholicpriests.ie

The Prayer Process - Taken from The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic 1. Gratitude: Begin by thanking God in a personal dialogue for whatever you are most grateful for today. 2. Awareness: Revisit in the past twenty-four hours when you were and were not the-best-version-of-your-self. Talk to God about these situations and what you learned from them. 3. Significant Moments: Identify something you experienced in the last twenty-four hours and explore what God might be trying to say to you through that event (or person). 4. Peace: Ask God to forgive you for any wrong you have committed (against yourself, another person, or Him) and to fill you with a deep and abiding peace. 5. Freedom: Speak with God about how He is inviting you to change your life, so that you can experience the freedom to be the-best-version-of-yourself. 6. Others: Lift up to God anyone you feel called to pray for today, asking God to bless and guide them. 7. Pray the Our Father.