The disciples devoted themselves with one accord to prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus (Entrance Antiphon). The Blessed Virgin Mary has always been rightly referred to as the Mother of the Church not only because of the great role she has played in the salvific mission of her son but also because of her motherly presence to the Church ever since the Church’s inception. The recognition and celebration of Mary’s continued motherly presence to the Church has been one of the hallmarks of the Catholic Church. It is with this in mind that today (Monday following Pentecost) was designated as a day for honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title,  Mother of the Church. 
The readings chosen for today seek to remind us why the Blessed Virgin Mary is rightly referred to as Mother of the Church. As the second Eve, the Blessed Mary is the mother of all the living. Unlike humanity’s first mother Eve, Mary allowed the will of God to be done in her life. Her willingness to remain obedient to the Lord from the moment she received the Lord’s message enabled her to become the mother of the Savior through whom the world was given a new life. Mary’s obedience to the will of the Lord in her life saw her endure some of the most difficult moments that a mother can undergo (Gospel Reading). While the majority of Jesus’ friends and close companions abandoned him as he made his way to Calvary, Mary his mother remained with him all the way. She was not only present as the soldiers repeatedly beat her son who was tiring under the weight of the heavy cross, but she was also present when Jesus was stripped of his clothes, nailed on the cross, and hoisted up on the cross. And it was while Jesus was hanging on the cross that he gifted the Church with his mother.
Mary’s motherly role in the Church has never ceased. She continues to look after the Church in obedience to her Son’s command ( woman, behold your son). Mary is the great intercessor for the Church. May the Church rejoice in her loving presence, and learning from, and in imitation of her, become a source of salvation to the world.