At every Mass, the Virgin Mary is there

Jesus wanted to uniquely and singularly associate his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, with the work of our Redemption, the work of Salvation. At every Mass, when Jesus renews, or more precisely actualizes the gift of himself on the Cross, the Virgin Mary is there at the foot of the Cross.

This is why I like to see an image of the Virgin Mary next to each altar. She shouldn’t be far from the altar. When we hear Jesus say through the priest, "This is my body given up for you, this is my blood shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins," we should close our eyes and imagine ourselves at the foot of the Cross. Jesus meets us there, even though he is in glory, risen and victorious today. He meets us there during his Passion and his Cross. We are truly on Mount Calvary! Mary is there too. We can hear the words: "Behold, your Mother," and "Behold, your son… and from that moment he took Mary in his home.”

At the same time that I receive the Body of Christ, I receive Mary as my Mother.

Mgr Marc Aillet, Bishop of Bayonne, Lescar and Oloron (France)

Excerpt from a lecture given on June 8, 2018, in the Bayonne Cathedral