21 August 2021
Memorial of Saint Pius X, Pope
In today’s gospel Jesus admonishes some of the teachers of the law for not practicing what they preached. The way we live always provides a more valuable testimony to our beliefs than our actions. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words and no words could ever match the fidelity of Mary who stood under the cross of her son. Outside of the Gospel of Luke, little is recorded in the gospels concerning what Mary said, save that important line in the Gospel of John, “do whatever he tells you.” Yet what words could be more eloquent and more strongly spoken than her ability to stand under the cross of her son. The fact that all gospel writers include this incident in their retelling of the passion serves as the foundation for the Catholic faith’s identification of Mary as an object of special devotion. We all need examples, and no doubt that the image of the sorrowful mother offers an example of someone who was touched by suffering and continued to walk in faith. Mary’s walk through life in faith culminated in eternal life at her Assumption, the feast we celebrated at the beginning of this week. The church has always taught that salvation comes through Christ and is caused by Christ, but the response to that saving invitation of salvation was lived by his mother in a way that can be modeled by all wish to follow her Son.