Mary, Mother of the Church

The institution of the Eucharist heralded a faith community united in the remembrance of Jesus, which eventually became the Church. The final days of Jesus on Earth, his instructions to the apostles, and the Pentecost event marked the genesis of the Church, defining its presence and mission. Jesus entrusting Mary to John as his mother at the foot of the cross (John 19: 25-37) foreshadowed the reality of a new family—the Church. Mary is thus recognized as the Mother of the Church. As the first member of the Church, her obedience to God set the example for us to become the Church by doing God's will.

Jesus' instruction to John to take Mary home as his mother highlights a crucial aspect of being the Church. The Church is about embracing others, bringing them into our home, and affirming their dignity. It is a welcoming house for all. Just as John took Mary into his home, every such house of John is the real ChurchMother Teresa wisely observed, "The problem with the world is that we draw the circle of our family too small". The Church, however, is an ever-expanding family circle. When it ceases to expand, when it stops welcoming others, the Church loses its vitality and becomes merely a museum of past glory. Elizabeth Lesser, co-founder of the Omega Institute, launched an initiative called "Take the Other to Lunch". It encouraged inviting someone with whom we have negative stereotypes to lunch. During this time, the guidance was to avoid persuading, defending, or interrupting, but instead to be curious, conversational, real, and truly listen. Through this process, the "other" would gradually become less of an outsider and more a part of "us".

Pope Francis' powerful metaphor, "The Church is a field hospital," encapsulates the vision of a compassionate and outward-looking Church. This Church prioritises those who are wounded, sick, and living on the margins of society, welcoming the homeless and all kinds of "others". It is a place for sinners and the wounded, not exclusively for the "perfect" or "saints".

A field hospital is strategically located on the battlefield, close to those who are injured. Similarly, the Church must venture out to the "peripheries"—to those who are hurting, excluded, or have drifted from faith. It is about encountering people where they are, with empathy and understanding, rather than passively waiting for them to come to the Church. The primary care offered by this field hospital is mercy, love, and charity, not a preoccupation with complex doctrinal debates or "small-minded rules". Remember Mary leaving in haste to greet and be with Elizabeth who was old, with child, and in need. Mary literally became a field hospital.

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