We honor Mary as Mother of the Church today. This title is a beautiful way of reflecting on the mystery of the Church. 

Mary is our mother in the spiritual life. She suffered the pangs of our birth, not in her body but in the piercing of her heart as she watched her son suffer and die on the cross. She was present as the blood and water flowed out from his pierced side. She kept vigil with the apostles after the Ascension until the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. As she was present at the beginning of the Church as a whole, so she is also present as our mother from the beginning of our lives as members of the Church. She who is mother of the Head is also the mother of us who have been made members of the body through baptism. As our mother, Mary will never abandon her children.

And where else can we find refuge—storm-tossed, battered, weary as we are—if not under our loving mother’s mantle of protection? As Mother of the Church, Mary is a guiding light in the storm and a clarion call over the din of battle. As Mother of the Church, she gathers all of her children together into the safety of the ark—into the safety of the Church.

Not only is Mary the mother of the Church Militant here on earth, but she is also the mother of both the Church Suffering in Purgatory and the Church Triumphant in heaven. This is wonderfully shown in the numerous paintings  that depict angels or saints in heaven extending rosaries down into Purgatory to draw men and women into heaven. Mary’s rosary is a means for us on earth to help our beloved departed in Purgatory by joining with Mary to pray to her son.

In heaven, the saints and angels serve as attendants to the great Queen of heaven and Mother of the Church. This mother distributes all of the graces which she has received from her son Jesus and often allows the saints to share in this disbursement. As a loving mother, she rejoices to see her children aiding one another. Through these graces, the Church Militant is strengthened and built up to show forth the glory of God on earth.

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Image (St. Dominic extends a rosary to the souls in Purgatory), by Lawrence Lew, OP (used with permission)