Walking with Mary: Mother of the Church

One afternoon, a mother hurried about her home, tackling chores from room to room. At every turn, her young son was right behind her, so close that she nearly tripped over him more than once. Gently, she urged him to go outside and play with his friends in the park, but he only smiled and stayed at her side.

After several more close calls, her patience finally wore thin. She stopped, looked at him, and asked, “Why won’t you go and play?”

The boy lifted his eyes and answered softly, “In Sunday school, my teacher told us to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. And when we can’t find Him, we should walk in the footsteps of our mother.”

If following the footsteps of one’s earthly mother can guide a child closer to Jesus, how much more surely will following the footsteps of Mary, the Mother of the Church, draw us to Him?

Scriptural Foundation

From the cross, Jesus gave Mary to his beloved disciple John, saying, “Behold, your son,” and to Mary, “Behold, your mother” (John 19:26–27). This act was not meant for John alone. By entrusting Mary to him, a representative of every disciple, Jesus made her the spiritual Mother of the Church.

From the beginning of the Church, Mary has been a motherly guide and inspiration to all believers. After the Ascension of Jesus, she joined the apostles in the Upper Room. There, under her watchful presence, they dedicated themselves to prayer, awaiting the promised Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). It was Mary who first conceived the Word of God through the Spirit; now, she prayed for that same Spirit to breathe life into the Church at Pentecost.

This maternal role is rooted in a profound theological reality. Drawing on St. Paul’s teaching that Christ is the head of the body, the Church (Colossians 1:18), we realize that the one who is the mother of the Head is also, in a spiritual and true sense, the Mother of His Body.

St. Ambrose of Milan, in the 4th century, is credited with being the first to formally describe Mary as the Mother of the Church.

The New Eve

Over the centuries, theological reflection deepened the understanding of Mary’s spiritual motherhood. The Church Fathers drew a parallel between Eve and Mary, often calling Mary the “New Eve.”

Contrasting the disobedience of the first Eve with the obedience of Mary, St. Irenaeus of Lyons said that Eve’s disobedience, as “the mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20), brought about humanity’s fall, while Mary’s faithful obedience paved the way for salvation through her Son. He memorably summarized this reversal: “The knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by the obedience of Mary.”

This idea was echoed by other Fathers, including Ephrem the Syrian, Cyril of Jerusalem, and Jerome. St. Augustine enriched the theology by teaching that Mary is “the mother of Christ’s members,” for she “cooperated by charity in the birth of the faithful in the Church.” Thus, the Eve–Mary parallel reveals Mary’s active and maternal participation in the life of the Church.

Formal Recognition

Building on Scripture and the teachings of the Fathers, the Second Vatican Council formally recognized Mary’s spiritual motherhood. In its Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, the Council teaches: “In a wholly singular way She cooperated by Her obedience, faith, hope, and burning charity in the Savior’s work of restoring supernatural life to souls. For this reason, She is a Mother to us in the order of grace.”

At the closing of the third session of Vatican II on November 21, 1964, Pope Paul VI solemnly proclaimed Mary as “Mother of the Church”:

“For the glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary and our consolation, we declare most Holy Mary Mother of the Church, that is, of the whole Christian people, both faithful and pastors, who call her a most loving Mother; and we decree that henceforth the whole Christian people should, by this most sweet name, give still greater honour to the Mother of God and address prayers to her.”

In 2018, Pope Francis instituted the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, to be celebrated annually on the Monday after Pentecost, the birth of the Church. By placing the feast after Pentecost, the Church emphasizes Mary’s presence with the apostles in prayer and her ongoing role in nurturing the Church, just as a mother fosters new life.

Supreme Model

The title “Mother of the Church” strengthens the identity of the Church as a family of God. Just as every family has a mother, the Church has a mother in Mary. She makes the Church a home, where the members are loved and nurtured.

Always remaining focused on her Son, she inspires the Church to do the same. She leads believers to Jesus, a truth revealed at the Wedding at Cana, where she instructed, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). This directive remains essential for all disciples, in every age.

Mary is the supreme model of discipleship:

• In her fiat, her unwavering “yes” to God’s will (Luke 1:38), we learn profound obedience of faith.

• In her heart, which “pondered all these things” (Luke 2:19), we discover the depth of contemplative prayer.

• In her steadfast presence at the foot of the Cross, we are formed in selfless charity that accompanies others in their deepest suffering.

(Sacaria Joseph is an Indian Jesuit who contributes to Catholic magazines and platforms regularly)