Main news for 12 June 2025

The Gospels in general tell us very little about the life of the Mother of God, which makes the small details they do convey all the more important. The youngest of the disciples, John, the one whom Jesus loved, takes upon himself the care of Jesus' Mother. Even on the cross, Jesus does not forget Her and entrusts Her to His beloved disciple. There is a purely practical meaning in this: women in Israel did not support themselves; they were homemakers, while the means of living were earned first by fathers, then by husbands, and then by sons. With the death of Jesus, Mary has no one left who would provide for Her life, and She had no savings; the Holy Family had always lived in poverty. Therefore Jesus' care for Her in the final moments of His earthly life is very important for both of Them.

But there is another meaning as well. The Church created by Christ is called to continue His work, to do everything that He did. By receiving Mary, the disciples show themselves to be brothers of Jesus, and the Church becomes one family, in which there is a Father, there is a Mother, and there are children, brothers and sisters to one another, living in unity with Christ, in obedience to the Father, and in care for the Mother, who overshadows them with her motherly love.