Mary's Last Words

Mary is present in scripture from the Annunciation to Pentecost. Some of the times she is mentioned include the Visitation, the Nativity, Finding Jesus in the Temple, the Wedding Feast at Cana, the Foot of the Cross, and burying Jesus.We get the Magnificat as her response to what God has done for her. But the very last time she speaks in scripture is in today's Gospel when she said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Remember that, "Do whatever He tells you."
 

Holy Saturday

On the first Holy Saturday, while everyone else had abandoned Christ, Mary continued to believe, demonstrating her deep faith by never doubting her Son’s promise of resurrection. Sts. Bernard of Clairvaux, Thomas Aquinas and Bonaventure, all said it is proper to dedicate Saturdays to Mary remembering this time of Christ’s rest in the grave.

In the Pontifical document, Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy, Saturday is designated as a memorial of the Blessed Virgin as “a remembrance of the maternal example and discipleship of the Blessed Virgin Mary who, strengthened by faith and hope, on that great Saturday on which Our Lord lay in the tomb, was the only one of the disciples to hold vigil in expectation of the Lord’s resurrection; it is a prelude and introduction to the celebration of Sunday, the weekly memorial of the Resurrection of Christ; it is a sign that the ‘Virgin Mary is continuously present and operative in the life of the Church.’”

The pictures above were taken in St. Cecilia Cathedral. They have a replica of the Pieta on loan from the Vatican on display there now. Unlike the original, you can walk around it and even touch. Stop by and visit.