“Ngaye uKristo, sikanye naye, sikuye …” This is how the Eucharistic Prayer ends leading to the proclamation of the Great Amen at Mass each day. We say these words often, and even know them by heart but what do they really mean?
For me this formula expresses a deep relational reality and shows our intimacy with Christ. Today in our celebration of Mary, Queen and Mother we realise that we can get to know Mary through Christ as he is the first of many brothers (Rom 8:29) – and the Mother of our brother is also our Mother. That is why the giving of his Mother to be the Mother of the disciple Jesus loved makes perfect sense (Jn 19:26-27).
What did Jesus feel when he looked down from his cross? He would have seen a motherless world filled with orphans and then with his last breath, he established a mother-child relationship. This relationship is a two edged sword because just as we can get to know Mary through her Son, through Mary we can get to know Jesus. Who else knew more about the mystery of the incarnation than Mary? How did she interpret his words? What did she feel when she stood beneath the cross? What did her maternal heart feel when she attended Eucharist and heard these words: “whenever you do this, do it in remembrance of me”? Surely she would have said: “In remembrance of him – how could I ever forget him?” That is what this relationship is all about – Mary’s unforgettable son.
Bishop Sylvester David OMI
VG: Archdiocese of Cape Town