The Virgin Mary is the first person in the New Testament to receive the action of the Holy Spirit in the miraculous conception of Jesus Christ.
Thus, she becomes the first temple of the Holy Spirit, and since she was the mother of the head of the Church, our Lord Jesus, by right she becomes for us the MOTHER OF THE CHURCH.
The Gospel today relates that Mary is standing at the foot of the cross with some other women and John the apostle. There, we hear one of the last words of Jesus, giving his mother to "the disciple." Let us notice that the name of John is not addressed, but the generic title "disciple" meaning that she is not only the mother of Jesus but the mother of those who are disciples of Jesus. Since that moment on, John, "the disciple" took the Mother into his home.
That is the reason why we Catholics, hold in special esteem the presence of Mary in our Christian life. Not only because she was at the very beginning of the Church, in Pentecost, but because as her prophetic words testify: "ALL GENERATIONS WILL CALL ME BLESSED."
Let us thank our Lord Jesus who gave us in his last moments, not only the precious gift of his sacrifice for us on the cross, but also the gift of having a mother who is always with us, and who prays and intercedes for us until de hour of our death.
