MARY mother of God, the joyful disciple of the Risen Lord.

Sermon I preached this evening at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Siglap-Singapore.

Theme: MARY mother of God, the joyful disciple of the Risen Lord.




Christ’s resurrection is the key truth of our Christian faith, and this proclamation of his resurrection was the first ‘good news’, the pattern of the message that was to convert billions and change the world’s history. It’s not only a ‘good news’ but a joyous news that announces that evil has ultimately been overcome by good. Jesus shares his victory with us, for now we too have the power to rise and be glorified forever. Thus Easter becomes a season of joyous thanksgiving. And we see this joy being manifested in the lives of those people Jesus had encountered with during his resurrection. The cries of joy from the disciples “It is the Lord” and “We have seen the Lord” was shared with the rest of the community. Mary too must have had an equally intense experience of the new life of her glorified Son (RVM. 23)

Scripture does not relate any appearance of Jesus to his mother on the day of the resurrection or at any of the post-resurrection events. However, many saints and mystics throughout Church history have assumed that it did in fact happen. In the "Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius", he who is meticulous in supporting his teachings with Scripture, says in the contemplation on the Resurrection of Jesus: “He appeared to the Virgin Mary. Though this is not mentioned explicitly in Scripture, it must be considered as stated when Scripture says that “he appeared to many others.” So, dear friends, knowing the mutual love that flowed from the heart of Jesus and Mary, is there any doubt about such an appearance?

We do not find any mention of Mary in Scripture after the Resurrection until we meet her in the Upper Room, awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14). Because of her strong faith, Mary certainly played an important role during this time of waiting for the Holy Spirit at Pentecost with the disciples. Her own faith and trust I am certain is no doubt was a great influence on many others.
As Mary brought comfort, hope and joy to so many after the Resurrection, she was basically fulfilling her role as a disciple. The joy that she shared was a radiance of her witness to the presence and power of the Risen Lord dwelling within her. A Christian disciple is called not to only imitate the Master’s works but also to bring the Master’s joy and hope to everyone especially those who are down, living in fear, discourage and have given up hope. The world is lacking of prophets of the ‘good news’, we don’t hear messages of joy and hope anymore. Everywhere there is news of terror, sadness, fear. Just look at our papers and televisions!! See the faces of the people in the MRT and buses, all seem so worried and tensed.

Mary and the disciples, having experienced a deep love relationship with the Lord, was filled with joy and delight, realizing that the whole human race was redeemed, and that those who believe and followed him would share in the divine life and love of the Lord. We too have the opportunity and are called to become disciples of the Risen Lord who are bearers of the message of Joy of the Resurrection, the same experience of joy that Mary and the disciples experienced when Jesus rose from the dead.
As we prepare ourselves to go out today to be faithful disciples of the Risen Lord, the bearers of joyful news, let us take Mary as our model of discipleship. In her visit to her cousin Elizabeth, she brought a joy that was so great that the child in Elizabeth’s womb leapt for joy. That Joy that Mary brought to her cousin is none other than Jesus.

We too need to bring Jesus to others, so we pray that like Mary, our mission in life is to say yes to the Lord in all the happenings of every day and share the Joy of the Lord to everyone we meet.