St. Justin Martyr icon
Charles Rohrbacher, iconographer
1999
Posted on 05/31/2020 10:39:00 PM PDT by Salvation
-- St. Alphonsus Liguori
|
The Angel of the Lord declared to Mary:
Behold the handmaid of the Lord: Be it done unto me according to Thy word.
And the Word was made Flesh: And dwelt among us.
Amen. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) "Blessed are you among women, |
The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:20)
Any guesses why the first reading today, on the feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, is the story of the fall of Adam and Eve? It all goes back to the Church’s ancient portrayal of Mary as the new Eve. For instance, the second-century bishop St. Irenaeus wrote that the knot of Eve’s disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. Yes, Eve became mother of all the living, but by welcoming Jesus into her womb, Mary has become mother to all those born into eternal life through him. And that makes her mother of the entire Church.
As a good mother, Mary supports and guides us—both individually and as a Church—with tenderness and compassion. She is committed to teaching us and helping us grow into kind, faithful people who love the Lord and each other. So she urges us to obey and trust in God. And she doesn’t just tell us what to do; she sets the example for us as well. By her actions, she shows us how to “hear the word of God and act on it,” and she shows us how to do it in humility and surrender (Luke 8:21).
As any good mother does for her children, Mary also prays for us—constantly. She knows our challenges and our hopes and our fears, and she brings them to her Son and asks him to help us. And just as any good mother would do, she rushes to our side when we fall. She comes to comfort us but also to encourage us to stand up in faith and begin again.
Spend some time today pondering Mary’s role as your spiritual mother and as Mother of the Church. This is a good day to try to grow closer to her and to ask her to guide you on your journey of faith. Mary, the new Eve, is ready to hold you close to her heart.
“Father, thank you for making Mary the Mother of the Church. Help me to learn from her example and to receive the blessings of her intercession.”
Psalm 87:1-3, 5-7
John 19:25-34
Justin never ended his quest for religious truth even when he converted to Christianity after years of studying various pagan philosophies.
As a young man, he was principally attracted to the school of Plato. However, he found that the Christian religion answered the great questions about life and existence better than the philosophers.
Upon his conversion he continued to wear the philosopher’s mantle, and became the first Christian philosopher. He combined the Christian religion with the best elements in Greek philosophy. In his view, philosophy was a pedagogue of Christ, an educator that was to lead one to Christ.
Justin is known as an apologist, one who defends in writing the Christian religion against the attacks and misunderstandings of the pagans. Two of his so-called apologies have come down to us; they are addressed to the Roman emperor and to the Senate.
For his staunch adherence to the Christian religion, Justin was beheaded in Rome in 165.
As patron of philosophers, Justin may inspire us to use our natural powers—especially our power to know and understand—in the service of Christ, and to build up the Christian life within us. Since we are prone to error, especially in reference to the deep questions concerning life and existence, we should also be willing to correct and check our natural thinking in light of religious truth. Thus we will be able to say with the learned saints of the Church: I believe in order to understand, and I understand in order to believe.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.