The Church, Our Mother

I chose to share this reflection because of an observation that was brought to light about the fall in attendance at both the daily and weekly Holy Mass in my parish church. It was on the Memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church (Monday after Pentecost Sunday), that a few of us were talking after attending the Holy Mass. The reduction in Holy Mass attendance was mentioned and one of us opined that the COVID-19 Pandemic may explain the congregation’s reluctance to return to the pews. Another one argued that the COVID – 19 pandemic has become the main excuse that people now use to explain away uncomfortable or sensitive situations. Later, I thought that perhaps we (the congregation) just need to remember what role the Church plays in keeping us strong in the faith. Then I came across the Holy Father’s reflections in his 2013 (Year of Faith) weekly catecheses on the images of the Church. Impressing upon us the image of the church as our mother in faith, Pope Francis called everyone to remember and celebrate the anniversary of the day of our birth into the family of Christ (our Baptism).

The Maternal Sense of the Church

In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium, in 6, 14, 15, 41, 42), the church is our mother in faith, in the supernatural life. Mother Church images the human reality of what motherhood is:

1. Generation of Life

As a mother generates life, carries her child in her womb, delivers him to life, and gives birth to him so does the Church bear us in the faith, through the work of the Holy Spirit who makes her fertile, as like the Virgin Mary. Thus, the Church and the Virgin Mary are both mothers. That which we say of the Church can be said also of Our Lady, and that what is said of Our Lady can also be said of the Church.

A Personal and yet Communal Life of Faith

This does not in any way diminish the personal act of faith. Therefore, we pray saying, “I believe.” It is I, personally responding to God who makes Himself known and wants to enter into an intimate friendship with me (Lumen Fidei, n. 39). But I must acknowledge that the faith which I receive from others, is within a family, and within a community that teaches me to say “I believe”, because together “we believe”. A Christian cannot stand alone, like an island. We do not become Christians by experimentation in a laboratory, and we do not become Christians by our own effort. Our Christianity comes from the gift of faith. It is a gift from God. It is so graciously given to us in the Church and through the Church. It is the Church which gives us the life of faith in Baptism. This is the moment in which Mother Church gives birth to us, as children of God. At this moment, she gives us the life of God, and she engenders us as a mother would her child.

In the Baptistery of St John Lateran (“mother church” of all Catholic churches), there is an inscription written in Latin which reads,

Here is born a people of divine lineage, generated by the Holy Spirit who makes these waters life-giving; Mother Church gives birth to her children within these waves.

Therefore, when we take part in the Church, it is not an exterior or formal fact. It is not filling out an attendance form that they give us. It must be an interior and vital act. We do not belong to the Church in like manner as we would be members of a society, political party, or any other organization or institution for that matter. There is a vital bond that connects us with the Church such as that bond which we each have with our mother. As St. Augustine teaches, the Church is truly the mother of Christians ( De moribus Ecclesiae, I, 30, 62-63: PL 32, 1336). It is therefore of utmost importance that we ask ourselves how it is we see the Church. If I am grateful to my parents for giving me life, should I not be grateful to the Church for generating me in the faith through Baptism? Honestly, I did not remember the date of my Baptism off the top of my head before I read the Pope’s reflection; yet I always do remember my birth date! I have from this day forward decided to remember and celebrate 15^th November every year to commemorate my Baptism and thank the Lord for this gift.

Love Her as She is

So, I love the Church because I loved my mother (may her soul rest in peace). My mother had her defects. I also have defects. But I loved my mother despite her defects, just as she was…human. And I think I did my best to help her be more beautiful. At least I tried to. Every child in my kindergarten knew the most beautiful person in the world was my mother. There were times when we fought over who the most beautiful mum was, and we tried to outdo each other in proving whose mother was the most beautiful.  Mother Church has her defects. And I will do my best to not just gloss over her defects, but to help her be more beautiful, more authentic, and more in harmony with the Lord. When it calls for it, I will defend her in truth. When she needs my support, I will stand up and be counted alongside her. When I have to, I pray to have the courage to respectfully tell her that we are losing it.

2. Nurturing

Apart from giving life, a mother with great care helps her children to grow. From giving them milk to feeding them with solids, a mother teaches them the way of life, and accompanies them always with her care, her affection, and with her love. This she does even when they are grown up. In doing so, she also knows to correct them, forgive them, and understand them. She knows how to be close to them in sickness and in suffering. Being a good mother, she helps her children to come to themselves, and not to remain comfortably under her motherly wings.

Mother Church likewise accompanies our development. She transmits to us the Word of God, which is a light that directs the path of the Christian life. She administers the Sacraments which…. She nourishes us with the Eucharist, the Bread of Life. She brings us the forgiveness of God through the Sacrament of Penance. She comforts us in moments of sickness with the Anointing of the sick. Mother Church accompanies us throughout our entire life of faith, and throughout the whole of our Christian life. This means that I must have a relationship with the Church. I need to recognize her role as the mother who helps me grow as a Christian. I can and will if I participate in the life of the Church. I must become a part of this life by having a vital relationship with Mother Church.

3. “Making” and “Being Made”

The early Church acknowledged that while the Church plays her role of making Christians, she is also “made” by them. We should not see the Church as being distinct, separate, or apart from us. We should consider her as the totality of believers. She is the “we” of Christians. You and I are all part of the Church. St Jerome reminds us that the Church of Christ is nothing other than the souls of those who believe in Christ (Tract. Ps 86: PL 26,1084). Therefore, the motherhood of the Church must be lived by us all. Whether we be priests, religious, or laity. There are moments when we feel separated from the Church. Yes, I believe in God, but not so much do I believe in the Church. As St. Cyprian so famously said, “No one can have God as Father who does not have the church as Mother.” Sometimes we think the Church says this or the priests say that, but the Church is each of us and all of us! If I believe in God, but do not believe in the Church, then I also do not believe in myself. In Baptism, we become the Church. In the eyes of God, we are all His children.

A Familial Relationship

The familial nature of the Church is that we are all brothers and sisters of Christ within God’s Family. Whether you rank as a just baptized week-old neonate or a fully-fledged Bishop of a See, we are all the Church. While affirming that all Baptized share equality, we must acknowledge that not all are equally mature in Christ. Some have walked before us and are properly recognized as our mothers and fathers in the faith, who collectively have called the “church our mother”. We have all been called to collaborate for the birth of new Christians in the faith. We have a role to play as educators in the faith, proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We must each find something to share with others in the Christian life. We must become generous in our faith and freely share it. We cannot hoard the faith in the name of keeping it personal. I cannot say I love the Church when I do not participate in her mission of coming out, and moving despite the risks, to bring Christ to all people. Every Christian must take part in the motherhood of the church. Then will the light of Christ reach the far confines of the earth.

Church as Mother is Biblical

The concept of the Church as Mother is Biblical. We hear about it from the Lord Jesus’ grieving over Jerusalem refers to Himself (and His Bride) as a mother hen brooding over Jerusalem (Matthew 23:37). On his part, St. Paul labours with the Church for the disciples (Galatians 4:19); shows how mother church has a fondness for her children, taking care of them as a nursing mother would (1 Thessalonians 2:7-8);, carefully chooses milk over solid food for the new converts just like the mother who knows her child is not ready would (1 Corinthians 3:2); and, refers to the Jerusalem above, who is free and our mother (Galatians 4:26). The persecuted church is depicted like the pregnant woman who is pursued by the dragon (Revelation 12).

Take-Home Message

As members of Mother Church, we must follow the example set by our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Matthew 5:38-48). We are by no means perfect, but as members of the Church of God, we live by and reflect the love of the Eternal God as demonstrated to us in the Church. Then we must go out and teach the love of God that is embodied within the gospel of Christ as preached by Mother Church. If you have not yet returned to communing in person with fellow Christians, please make the move and return to common fellowship with the brethren.

Long Live Holy Mother Church!

This article borrows heavily from the reflections of Pope Francis shared at the General Audience in St Peter’s Square on Wednesday, 11 September 2013 (The Church is Our Mother).