Mary, Mother of Jesus and our Mother
In honor of Mary, our mother, the Rosary is recited before the 8 A.M. Mass weekdays and on the first Saturday of each month after the 8 A.M. Mass. Come, join us.
We, the people of St. Francis along with the entire Catholic
Church, honor Mary, the Mother of God. She is mother not of Jesus'
divinity, but of His humanity. As mother of the human nature of
the Second Person of the Trinity, Mary is rightly called Mother
of God.
We are grateful to Our Lord for giving us His own mother. 'Woman,
behold, your son.' and 'Behold, your mother." (John: 10:26)
This designation was so important that it was one of the final
words of Jesus on the cross and is enshrined forever in Scripture.
Mary was there when the Word was made flesh within her womb and
was present when He died. Throughout the centuries, Christians
have accepted Jesus' wish that His mother should be theirs also.
We do not worship Mary any more than we worship our own mother.
We simply have a very special love for her. Mary watches
over us and prays for us. Interestingly, only those branches of
the Church that honor Mary have retained a firm belief in the
real presence of the Lord in the Eucharist. It seems that wherever
Mary, the source of the Lord's human body, is also the sure anchor
for our belief in the real presence of His Body and Blood in the
Eucharist.