Easter Day And Mother's Day

Juan De Flandes + Christ Appearing To His Mother

One of the most beautiful Easter Traditions of the Roman Catholic Church is, that after His Resurrection from the dead, Our Risen Lord Jesus appeared first to His Most Holy Mother, so that she would be the first person to receive Easter joy.

We commemorate this tradition in the hymn, Regina Caeli:

       Regina caeli, laetare, alleluia!           = Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia!
       Quia quem meruisti portare, alleluia! = For He whom you merited to bear, alleluia!
       Resurrexit, sicut dixit, alleluia!          =  Has risen, as He said, alleluia!
       Ora pro nobis Deum, alleluia!             =  Pray for us to God, alleluia!

This makes perfect sense, and is the divinization of a truly, fully human love -- the love between mother and child.  The Blessed Mother should be the first to rejoice in her Son's triumph over death, sin and evil.  And she should be the first to share in the joy of announcing -- to all of her loved ones and friends -- that Jesus has risen, as He promised!  

The Virgin Mary, the most holy Mother Of God, should obviously be the first person to share in the grace of the Resurrection of her Son.  Mary, ever a sinless Virgin and ever the mother of God The Son,

• Gave human life to Jesus, 
• Modeled holy human living to Him, 
• And willingly suffered alongside her Victim Son when He died for us to free us from death and sin.  

There is a bond between them -- a bond stronger and holier than any of us can understand.

And, honestly, I always find that bond so touching and nourishing to prayerfully contemplate upon. And, apparently, many artists also found inspiration flowing from the bond between the Blessed Mother and the Only Son Of God. There are several artworks depicting the reunion of Our Risen Lord with His Blessed Mother.  I thought I'd share a couple of them with you, our dear Academician Mothers and Academician Children, as you see in this post.

Everyone who has a mother and everyone who has a child should make some time during the Easter Season to pray about and to contemplate the bond of love and life, loyalty and faith and hope  between the Virgin Mother and her sinless, Risen Son, God's Son, Jesus The Christ.

The Resurrected Christ Appears to the Virgin by Guercino (created in 1629); Pinacoteca Comunale, Cento

Happy Easter Season!

And Happy Mother's Day!

From "The Assistant Headmaster"

And From The "Faculty Members" Of The Catholic Jedi Academy