When I was five, I got lost in a department store for a few minutes. I stepped away for a bit to look at the toys and got lost on my way back to my mom. I was scared and confused. I didn’t know what to do. Just two minutes later, my mom found me. Even if I don’t remember much about the event, I remember the emotional relief of seeing her again.
As I reflect on that day—the wonderful joy I felt seeing my mom—I think about our Mother Mary and how I desire to have that same joy when I call out to her in prayer.
Pope Leo recently asked us during his weekly general audience on the feast day of Our Lady of Fatima:
“Do I ask her (Mary) to help me be a faithful disciple of her Son?”
Our Mother Mary is always there for us, and her love is beyond compare—a love that orients us towards her Son.
Mary’s loving gaze witnessed the unfolding of salvation history in real time.
As we prepare to celebrate Pentecost, we reflect on the moment when the apostles and disciples gathered in the Upper Room and received the Holy Spirit, fulfilling Christ’s ministry on earth, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states, “Christ’s Passover is fulfilled in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit” (no. 731).
Pope Benedict XVI said,
“There is no church without Pentecost.”
He also affirmed that
“there is no Pentecost without the Virgin Mary” (Regina Coeli, 2010 May 23).
Mary said “yes” to bearing Christ in her womb. She was present with Jesus as he grew, in his ministry, in his suffering and death, in his Resurrection, and during Pentecost. Throughout all these important moments, Mary was present. As a disciple during the birth of the Church, she is uniquely suited to be a loving mother in our lives, as well. So, let us answer the question posed by Pope Leo XIV this week; let us never be afraid to ask Mary for help and guidance. May we never lose sight of Mary, our Mother.
Daniel Quintero is a stand-up comedian currently attending Mary, Mother of the Church Catholic Parish. His favorite motto: “Awkwardness does not exist.”
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