Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church

Pope Francis decreed in 2018 that the ancient devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Mother of the Church, be inserted into the Roman Calendar for the universal Church.

http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/documenti/decreti-generali/decreti-generali/2018/de-beata-maria-virgine-ecclesiae-matre/decretum/englih.html

The liturgical celebration, Beatæ Mariæ Virginis, Ecclesiæ Matris, will be celebrated annually as a Memorial on the day after Pentecost.

Scripture, depicts Mary at the foot of the Cross (cf. Jn 19:25): 

When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

There she became the Mother of the Church when she accepted her Son’s testament of love and welcomed all people in the person of the beloved disciple as sons and daughters to be reborn unto life eternal.

This title has its origins in the early Church Fathers.

St. Leo the Great says that "the birth of the Head is also the birth of the body", thus indicating that Mary is at once Mother of Christ, the Son of God, and mother of the members of his Mystical Body, which is the Church.

St. Augustine says that Mary is the "mother of the members of Christ, because with charity she cooperated in the rebirth of the faithful into the Church".

In 1964, Pope Paul VI “declared the Blessed Virgin Mary as ‘Mother of the Church, that is to say of all Christian people, the faithful as well as the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother’ and established that ‘the Mother of God should be further honored and invoked by the entire Christian people by this tenderest of titles’”

DIVINE OFFICE: Proper texts for the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church

http://www.cultodivino.va/content/cultodivino/it/documenti/decreti-generali/decreti-generali/2018/de-beata-maria-virgine-ecclesiae-matre/adnexus.html

English translation of the texts as published by Universalis https://universalis.com/L/20190610/today.htm

PRAYER COLLECT

O God, Father of mercies, whose Only Begotten Son, as he hung upon the Cross, chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, his Mother, to be our Mother also; grant, we pray, that with her loving help, your Church may be more fruitful day by day, and exulting in the holiness of her children, may draw to her embrace all the families of the peoples. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Office of Readings

HYMN

Hail, of paradise the portal!

  Tree of Life regained, immortal;

Whence, through thee, all sweetness floweth,

  And salvation’s fruit still groweth.

Thou our hearts aright inclinest,

  On our life’s way brightly shinest;

Us from God’s just anger savest,

  Who to man our Saviour gavest.

Hail! Blest shrine of God the Father,

  Thither sinners haste to gather;

Pardon for their guilt obtaining,

  Freedom from the foe’s enchaining;

Strength from thee the weak shall borrow,

  Comfort, thou, of all who sorrow;

From the final wrath tremendous,

  Mother of our Christ, defend us.

Star of ocean! Mother fairest!

  Who the name of Mary bearest;

In thy bright illumination

  Pales each star and constellation.

Hail, O Father! Hail, sweet Mother!

  Hail, O Son of God, our Brother!

Let the hosts of heaven adore thee,

  Every spirit bow before thee.

Second Reading

From an allocution by Pope Paul VI at the Second Vatican Council –(Allocutione ad Patres Concilii Vaticani II, die 21 novembris 1964)

The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Meditating on the close relationships between Mary and the Church, for the glory of the Virgin Mary and for our own consolation, we proclaim the Most Blessed Mary Mother of the Church, that is to say of all the people of God, of the faithful as well as of the pastors, who call her the most loving Mother. And we wish that the Mother of God should be still more honoured and invoked by the entire Christian people by this most sweet title.

  This is a title, venerable brothers, not new to Christian piety; it is precisely by this title, in preference to all others, that the faithful and the Church address Mary. It truly is part of the genuine substance of devotion to Mary, finding its justification in the very dignity of the Mother of the word Incarnate.

  Just as, in fact, the divine maternity is the basis for her special relationship with Christ, and for her presence in the economy of salvation brought about by Jesus Christ, thus it also constitutes the principal basis for the relations between Mary and the Church, since she is the mother of him who, right from the time of his Incarnation in her virginal bosom, joined to himself as head his Mystical Body which is the Church. Mary, then, as mother of Christ, is mother also of all the faithful and of all the pastors.

  It is therefore with a soul full of trust and filial love that we raise our glance to her, despite our unworthiness and weakness. She, who has given us in Jesus the fountainhead of grace, will not fail to succour the Church, now flourishing through the abundance of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and setting herself with new zeal to the fulfilment of its mission of salvation.

  And our trust is even more lively and fully corroborated if we consider the very close links between this heavenly Mother of ours and mankind. Although adorned by God with the riches of admirable prerogatives, to make her a worthy Mother of the Word Incarnate, she is nevertheless very close to us. Daughter of Adam, like ourselves, and therefore our sister through ties of nature, she is, however, the creature who was preserved from original sin in view of the merits of the Saviour, and who possesses besides the privileges obtained the personal virtue of a total and exemplary faith, thus deserving the evangelical praise, beata quae credidisti (blessed art thou who believed). In her earthly life, she realised the perfect image of the disciple of Christ, reflected every virtue, and incarnated the evangelical beatitudes proclaimed by Christ. Therefore in her, the entire Church, in its incomparable variety of life and of work, attains the most authentic form of the perfect imitation of Christ.

Responsory                                                               Cf. Cf. Lk 1,35

The Holy Spirit came down upon Mary:
—* The Power of the Most High overshadowed her.

Once more He filled her who shared in the Passion of her own Son, as Mother of all the redeemed.
—* The Power of the Most High overshadowed her.

Morning Prayer

HYMN

Mary Immaculate, star of the morning,

  Chosen before the creation began,

Chosen to bring in the light of thy dawning,

  Woe to the serpent and rescue to man.

Here, in this world of both shadow and sadness

  Veiling thy splendour, thy course hast thou run:

Now thou art throned in all glory and gladness,

  Crowned by the hand of thy Saviour and Son.

Sinners, we worship thy sinless perfection;

  Fallen and weak, for thy pity we plead:

Grant us the shield of thy sov’reign protection,

  Measure thine aid by the depth of our need.

Bend from thy throne at the voice of our crying,

  Bend to this earth which thy footsteps have trod:

Stretch out thine arms to us, living and dying,

  Mary Immaculate, Mother of God.

Benedictus Antiphon

The disciples, with one mind, persevered in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Evening Prayer

HYMN

Hail, Queen of the heavens, hail Mistress of earth;

Hail, Virgin most pure of immaculate birth:

Clear star of the morning in beauty enshrined;

O Lady, make speed to the help of mankind.

Thee God in the depth of eternity chose,

And formed thee all fair as his glorious spouse,

And called thee his own Word’s true Mother to be

By whom he created the earth, sky, and sea.

Hail, Mother most pure, hail, Virgin renowned,

Hail, Queen with the stars as a diadem crowned;

Above all the angels in glory untold,

Set next to the King in a vesture of gold.

These praises and prayers we lay at thy feet,

O Virgin of virgins, O Mary most sweet:

Be thou our true guide through this pilgrimage here,

And stand by our side when our death draweth near.

MAGNIFICAT Antiphon 

Jesus said to His Mother: Woman, behold your son; then He said to the disciple, behold your mother.

The Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"By the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the Blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and by our own authority, we pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory."

          From the Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII, "Munificentísimus Deus", defining the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven

 - November 1, 1950. 

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Booklet of the Divine Office with Gregorian Chant for Morning and Evening Prayer on the liturgical 

Solemnity of the Assumption - August 15

The beautiful centuries old antiphons of the liturgy for the Assumption gathered in the official prayer of the Church, the Divine Office, speak of our faith around Mary and the perfect way in which the Mystery of Redemption was accomplished in Her, thus fulfilling the Plan of God:

Christ ascended into Heaven and prepared an everlasting place for His Immaculate Mother, alleluia!

Through Eve the gates of Heaven were closed to all mankind through the Virgin Mother they were opened wide again, alleluia!

The Virgin Mary has been exalted above all the Heavens; come, let all men glorify Christ the King, whose Kingdom will endure for ever, alleluia!

All generations will call me Blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, alleluia!

Arise, O Virgin Queen, you are for ever worthy of our praise; take your place in the glorious dwelling place of the Eternal King!

The Lord has chose Her, his loved one from the beginning. He has taken Her to live with Him.

Glorious things are said of you, O Virgin Mary!

Blessed are you, O Mary, for the world's salvation came forth through you; now in glory, you rejoice for ever with the Lord!

The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels; let all believers rejoice and bless the Lord!

The Lord has made you so glorious that your praise will never cease to resound among men.

We acclaim you, Holy Mary, as Queen of Heave; the Sun of Justice came froth from your bridal chamber!

The Holy Mother of God is exalted in glory, above the choirs of angels, in the Kingdom of Heaven!

We share the fruit of life through you, O daughter blessed by the Lord!

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Some mystics of the Church have been given a profound insight into the mystery celebrated by the Church under the title of the Assumption.  

Here are two examples from two mystics in the way to sainthood, whose writings have been declared by the Church free-from theological error:

I

The Assumption as described by Venerable Maria of Jesus of Agreda in her "Mystical City of God" 

Our Redeemer Jesus entered heaven conducting the purest soul of his Mother at his right hand.

She should be his Companion for all eternity, possessing such a likeness to Him, that none greater can be possible between a Godman and a creature. In this light the Redeemer himself presented Her before the throne of the Divinity; and speaking to the eternal Father in the presence of all the blessed, who were ravished at this wonder, the most sacred humanity uttered these words: "Eternal Father, my most beloved Mother, thy beloved Daughter and the cherished Spouse of the Holy Ghost, now comes to take possession of the crown and glory, which We have prepared as a reward for her merit.

She is the one who was born as the rose among thorns, untouched, pure and beautiful, worthy of being embraced by Us and of being placed upon a throne to which none of our creatures can ever attain, and to which those conceived in sin cannot aspire. This is our chosen and our only One, distinguished above all else, to whom We communicated our grace and our perfections beyond the measure accorded to other creatures; in whom We have deposited the treasure of our incomprehensible Divinity and its gifts; who most faithfully preserved and made fruitful the talents, which We gave Her; who never swerved from our will, and who found grace and pleasure in our eyes.

The most holy soul of Mary was immediately raised to the right hand of her Son and true God, and placed on the royal throne of the most holy Trinity, which neither men, nor angels nor the seraphim themselves attain, and will not attain for all eternity. This is the most exalted and supereminent privilege of our Queen and Lady, that She is seated on the throne with the three divine Persons and holds her place as Empress, while all the rest are set as servants and ministers to the highest King. To the eminence and majesty of that position, inaccessible to all other creatures, correspond her gifts of glory, comprehension, vision and fruition.

The full chapter on the Assumption can be read here:

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II

The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary as explained to the Servant of God Luisa Piccarreta in her "Book of Heaven" Vol. 18  

I began to think about the feast of my Celestial Mama Assumed into Heaven; and my sweet Jesus, with a tender and moving tone, added: “My daughter, the true name of this Feast should be Feast of the Divine Will.

It was the human will that closed Heaven, broke the bonds with its Creator, made miseries and sorrow enter the field, and put an end to the feast that the creature was to enjoy in Heaven. Now, this creature, Queen of all, by doing the Will of the Eternal One always and in everything – even more, it can be said that Her life was Divine Will alone – opened the Heavens, bound Herself to the Eternal One, and restored in Heaven the feasts with the creature.

So, the true cause of this feast is the Eternal Will operating and fulfilled in my Celestial Mama. It operated such prodigies in Her as to astonish Heaven and earth, chain the Eternal One with indissoluble bonds of love, and capture the Word even into Her womb.

The very Angels, enraptured, repeated among themselves: ‘From where comes so much glory, so much honor, such greatness and prodigies never before seen, in this excelling Creature? Yet, it is from the exile that She is coming.’

Astonished, they recognized the Will of their Creator as Life operating in Her; and, trembling, they said: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy - honor and glory to the Will of Our Sovereign Lord. And glory, and trice Holy - She who let this Supreme Will operate.’

So, it is My Will that, more than anything, was and is celebrated on the day of the Assumption into Heaven of my Most Holy Mother.

It was My Will alone that made Her ascend so high as to distinguish Her among all. Everything else would have been as nothing, had She not possessed the prodigy of my Will.

It was My Will that gave Her Divine Fecundity and made Her the Mother of the Word. 

It was My Will that made Her see and embrace all creatures together, becoming the Mother of all, and loving all with a love of Divine Maternity. And making Her the Queen of all, It made Her rule and dominate. 

On that day, My Will received the first honors, the glory and the abundant fruit of Its work in Creation, and It began Its feast, which It never interrupts, for the glorification of Its operating in my beloved Mother.

And even though Heaven was opened by Me, and many Saints were already in possession of the Celestial Fatherland when the Celestial Queen was assumed into Heaven, however, She Herself was the primary cause, having fulfilled the Supreme Will in everything, and therefore we waited for She who had honored It so much and contained the true prodigy of the Most Holy Will, to make the first feast for the Supreme Volition. 

Oh! how the whole of Heaven magnified, blessed and praised the Eternal Will, upon seeing this sublime Queen enter the Empyreum, in the midst of the Celestial Court, all circumfused by the Eternal Sun of the Supreme Volition! They saw Her all studded with the power of the Supreme Fiat; there had been not even a heartbeat in Her which did not have this Fiat impressed on it. And, astonished, they looked at Her and said to Her: ‘Ascend, ascend higher. It is right that She who so much honored the Supreme Fiat, and through whom we find ourselves in the Celestial Fatherland, have the highest throne and be our Queen.’ And the greatest honor that my Mama received, was to see the Divine Will glorified.”  Book of Heaven August 15, 1925

St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross - Edith Stein

Today's feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a Carmelite martyr of Nazism of Jewish origin, has been incorporated to the universal Church liturgical calendar as an optional memorial. In Europe this day ranks as Feast since she was proclaimed co-patroness of Europe together with Sts. Catherine of Siena and Bridget of Sweden in 1999.

Divine Office proper for this day:

Edith Stein was born of Jewish parents in 1891, becoming an influential philosopher following her extensive studies at major German universities. Converting to Catholicism she became a major force in German intellectual life, entering the Discalced Carmelites in 1933. She was arrested by the Nazi regime in 1942 along with many Catholics of Jewish extraction, and transported by cattle train to the death camp of Auschwitz, dying there in that same year.

Office of Readings

SECOND READING

From the spiritual writings of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross: 

(Edith Stein Werke (Freiburg, 1987), 11:124-126)

Ave Crux, spes unica!

We greet you, Holy Cross, our only hope! The church puts these words on our lips during the time of the passion, which is dedicated to the contemplation of the bitter sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The world is in flames. The struggle between Christ and antichrist rages openly, and so if you decide for Christ you can even be asked to sacrifice your life.

Contemplate the Lord who hangs before you on the wood, because he was obedient even to the death of the cross. He came into the world not to do his own will but that of the Father. And if you wish to be the spouse of the Crucified, you must renounce completely your own will and have no other aspiration than to do the will of God.

Before you the Redeemer hangs on the cross stripped and naked, because he chose poverty. Those who would follow him must renounce every earthly possession.

Stand before the Lord who hangs from the cross with his heart torn open. He poured out the blood of his heart in order to win your heart. In order to follow him in holy chastity, your heart must be free from every earthly aspiration. Jesus Crucified must be the object of your every longing, of your every desire, of your every thought.

The world is in flames: the fire can spread even to our house, but above all the flames the cross stands on high, and it cannot be burnt. The cross is the way which leads from earth to heaven. Those who embrace it with faith, love, and hope are taken up, right into the heart of the Trinity.

The world is in flames: do you wish to put them out? Contemplate the cross: from his open heart the blood of the Redeemer pours, blood which can put out even the flames of hell. Through the faithful observance of the vows, you make your heart open; and then the floods of that divine love will be able to flow into it, making it overflow and bear fruit to the furthest reaches of the earth.

Through the power of the cross you can be present wherever there is pain, carried there by your compassionate charity, by that very charity which you draw from the divine heart. That charity enables you to spread everywhere the most precious blood in order to ease pain, save and redeem.

The eyes of the Crucified gaze upon you. They question you and appeal to you. Do you wish seriously to renew your alliance with him? What will your response be? Lord, where shall I go? You alone have the words of life. Ave Crux, spes unica!

RESPONSORY

We preach Christ Crucified, a scandal to the Jews and foolishness to the pagans,

--* but for those who are called, whether they be Jews or Greeks, we preach Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

The desire of my heart and my prayer rises to God for their salvation;

--* but for those who are called, whether they be Jews or Greeks, we preach Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.

PRAYER COLLECT

Lord, God of our fathers, you brought Saint Teresa Benedicta to the fullness of the science of the cross at the hour of her martyrdom. Fill us with that same knowledge; and, through her intercession, allow us always to seek after you, the supreme truth, and to remain faithful until death to the covenant of love ratified in the blood of your Son for the salvation of all men and women. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.