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Grace and Peace in Christ!
As we prepare our hearts with eager anticipation for the day of Pentecost, I want to direct our gaze to our Heavenly Mother who’s role in our preparation for Pentecost is often overlooked.
All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus... Acts 1:14
Scripture specifically identifies Mother Mary among all the women gathered with the Apostles as they prepared for Pentecost. Why was she distinguished from all the others? The answer lies within two points that illustrate her significant role in the preparation of Pentecost.
Mary knew each of the Apostles.
When Jesus saw his mother and this disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” John 19:26-27
The first point is that Mary knew the Apostles as though they were her own children. She journeyed with them, knew their personalities and understood their hearts in a way only a mother can. When the life of faith they had lived with the assurance of Jesus being the Messiah is now put to the test after Jesus’ death, they are able to run to their mother. Their days being filled with fear and panic, the Apostles may have felt overwhelmed and unprepared for what the future may hold. With the weight of their burden on them, they were able to find comfort and reassurance within the loving arms of Mother Mary. Like a mother, she understood all of their worries and took the pain of each apostle as her own pain and was there to intercede on their behalf with prayers that carried each apostle personally.
The same is true for us today. When we run to our Heavenly Mother, she cares for us in the same way that she cares for Jesus. With the heart of a mother, she takes us in and bears our pain and our happiness as though they were her own. So as we prepare for Pentecost, let us run to our mother and ask for her intercession with the confidence that she knows us and loves us in the same way she loved Jesus and the Apostles.
Mary knew the Holy Spirit.
The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you…” Luke 1:35a
For the second point we see through Scripture that the promise of the Holy Spirit was first given to Mary and she received the power of the Holy Spirit. She had a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit once the Annunciation took place, and personally experienced the power of the Holy Spirit through the conception of Jesus.
Not only did Mary know the Holy Spirit through the conception of Jesus, she also knew Him through the life of Jesus. We know that God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one through the mystery of the Holy Trinity, so we know that throughout Jesus’ life on Earth, He was one with the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
So this Jesus who is one with the Father and with the Holy Spirit, is the same from before the beginning of creation to when He was being raised as the Son of Mary all the way to today. Now focusing on the life of Jesus on Earth, we know that Mother Mary took much time and care to raise Jesus. Throughout His childhood, the one person that would be with him the most was His own mother, as she spent day and night caring for Him, playing with Him, and loving Him.
Throughout all the time Mary spent with Jesus, she would have grown in her understanding of the Holy Spirit because Jesus and the Spirit are one. So by the time of Pentecost, she had a deep understanding of the Holy Spirit through her relationship with Him and her relationship with Jesus.
The Apostles being close to Mary were able to fully prepare for the coming of the Holy Spirit in a more profound way. Through her special relationship with the Holy Trinity, she guided the Apostles in their preparation to receive the Holy Spirit.
Mother Mary had already given her “yes” to allow the Holy Spirit to work in her, so she knew the life of sacrifice and love that the Apostles would be called to live. By keeping her close, the Apostles were able to draw near to the heart of God through their preparation.
Now we can also prepare for Pentecost in the same way that the Apostles prepared for it, by keeping Mother Mary close to them. Mary knows us as a mother knows her children and she knows the Holy Spirit as a wife knows her husband. So when we rely on her intercession as we prepare for Pentecost, we can be assured of receiving the Holy Spirit in a new and profound way as she guides us closer to the heart of God.
But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Luke 1:43