NBVM Novena Day 9: Mary, Pillar of Unity in the Church
When we think of a pillar, we think of something strong. Something stable. Something that holds things together and keeps everything from collapsing.
That was the image we were invited to reflect on during Day 9 of the Novena. Fr Ryan reminded us that Mary, given to us as Mother at the foot of the cross, is also given to us as a pillar, a source of strength and unity in our Church. She doesn’t draw attention to herself. Instead, like any good mother, she gathers her children not around herself, but around her Son.
In John 19:27, Jesus, in His final moments, looks at the beloved disciple and says, “Behold your mother.” It was more than just a personal moment between Jesus and John. It was a gift to the entire Church. From that moment, Mary became our mother too. And just as a mother brings her family together, Mary continues to draw us into deeper unity, not just with one another, but with Christ.
1. At the Cross: Mary Given to Us as Mother
John 19:27 — “Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.”
At the foot of the cross, Jesus gave Mary to us. Not just to John, but to every one of us. In that sacred moment, Mary became the Mother of the Church. She became a spiritual bridge, not one that divides, but one that unites. She gathers us not around herself, but around Christ. In times of suffering, she reminds us that we are not alone. We are part of something larger, something eternal.
2. At the Wedding: Mary Unites in Service
John 2:5 — “His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’”
At Cana, the wine had run out, a moment of quiet crisis. Mary noticed what others had missed. She didn’t panic. She didn’t demand. She simply turned to Jesus and told the servants to listen to Him. That simple instruction became the turning point. In her intercession and trust, Mary united everyone to witness the first public miracle of Christ. It was a moment of joy, of transformation, and of unity, all because she pointed them to Jesus.
3. In the Upper Room: Mary Prays with the Church
Acts 1:14 — “All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.”
After Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples were uncertain, afraid, and scattered. But Mary was there. Not as a distant figure of honour, but as a mother among her children. She stayed with them, prayed with them, and prepared them for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And when the Spirit came at Pentecost, the Church was born, united in prayer, mission, and love.
Today, she does the same for us. When we are spiritually empty, when joy has run dry, when community feels strained, Mary intercedes. She brings us back to Jesus. Through her, we are reminded that unity is not about control, but about surrender, and about trust.
Fr Ryan also spoke about the scene in the upper room, where Mary gathered with the disciples in prayer. It was there, in that space of waiting and unity, that the Holy Spirit came. Pentecost was not just the birth of the Church, it was the birth of a united Church. And Mary was right there in the middle of it, praying, interceding, supporting, holding the early community together like a mother holds her children close.
She continues to do that even now.
From Fatima to Lourdes to Velankanni, we have seen how Mary continues to intercede for her children. Through her apparitions, through the countless stories of healing and conversion, Mary shows us that she has not stepped away. She has not forgotten us. She is still that same mother, watching, noticing, praying, and drawing us into unity.
We are reminded that no matter how lost, broken, or alone we feel, Mary is always near. When we think we have no one, we always have her. When we feel unheard, she is listening. When we are too tired to pray, she is praying for us. She is the quiet pillar beneath us, holding us up when we cannot stand.
At the end of the celebration, we experienced a beautiful moment that seemed to echo everything we had just heard. During the candlelight procession after the thanksgiving hymn, the skies threatened to pour. Still, we went out together in faith. And the rain held back until the very end. Only once the procession was over did the first drops fall. It felt like a small miracle. A quiet assurance of her intercession. A mother watching over her children.
Mary is not just a symbol of unity. She is living it. And she is calling us to live it too, in our families, in our parishes, and in our Church. Not by force, not by fear, but by love. By prayer. By service. And by keeping our eyes on Christ, just as she did.
Let us continue to ask Mary, our Mother and our Pillar, to intercede for us. To hold us together when we fall apart. To keep us united when things threaten to divide. And to lead us always to her Son, in whom all things are made new. (BV)
