The Woman Given: From Eden to the Cross

Voice over by Bro. Paschal

Gen 3,9-15.20, Psalm: 86, Jn 19:25-34

My dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On this Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, the Church invites us to gaze upon two scenes. One is a garden, where the first woman stands at the dawn of human failure. The other is a hill called Golgotha, where a new woman stands at the dawn of our redemption. In both, God speaks of a woman and her offspring. In both, a mother is given to us. Today, we celebrate the truth that Mary is not a peripheral figure in our faith; she is the Mother of the Church, the new Eve, the woman whose heart was pierced so that we might be born to eternal life.

In the Book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve have sinned, the Lord God calls out to the man: “Where are you?” It is a question of sorrow, not ignorance. God seeks His lost children. Then He turns to the serpent and pronounces the proto-evangelium, the first promise of a savior: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” The woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head. This is the first glimmer of hope in the darkness of sin. And Adam names his wife Eve, “because she was the mother of all the living.” But Eve’s motherhood, though blessed, was shadowed by the reality of sin and death.

In the Gospel of John, we stand at the foot of another tree—not the tree of knowledge, but the tree of the Cross. Jesus, the new Adam, hangs there, undoing the disobedience of the first. And standing near the Cross are His mother, Mary, the new Eve, and the beloved disciple. Jesus looks at His mother and says, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then He says to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” From that hour, the disciple took her into his home.

This is not merely a sentimental moment of filial care. It is an act of cosmic significance. Jesus is establishing a new family. At the moment of His greatest suffering, He gives His mother to us. Mary, who conceived Christ by the Holy Spirit, now becomes the Mother of all who are reborn by that same Spirit. The beloved disciple represents every believer. As Eve was the mother of all the living in the order of nature, Mary became the mother of all the living in the order of grace. The Church is born from the side of Christ, pierced by the lance, and Mary is given as its Mother.

Pope Francis has often reminded us, “Mary is not a statue to be admired, but a mother to be followed. She accompanies the Church, and she accompanies each of us.” Saint Augustine wrote, “Mary is the Mother of the members of Christ, for by her charity she cooperated in the birth of the faithful in the Church.”

What does this mean for us? It means we are not orphans. At the foot of the Cross, when Jesus entrusted Mary to John, He entrusted her to us. She is our mother. She prays for us, intercedes for us, and guides us to her Son. In our struggles, we can turn to her with the confidence of children. In our joys, we can thank her. In our confusion, we can ask her to show us the way.

This memorial reminds us that the Church is a family, not an institution. And every family needs a mother. Today, let us take Mary into our home—into our hearts, our prayers, our daily lives. Let us thank God for the gift of the new Eve, who crushes the serpent’s head by her faithful “yes.” And let us go forth, like the beloved disciple, to live as sons and daughters of the Mother of the Church. Amen.

May God bless you all!