Mary Mother of Jesus and Heart of Prayer

Acts 1:12-15

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olives, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath's day journey. And when they had entered the city, they mounted to the upper room where were staying Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon the Zealot, and Jude the brother of James. All these with one mind continued steadfastly in prayer with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren. In those days Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (now the number of persons met together was about a hundred and twenty...

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I was reading a blog where some of the usual questions of Mary were raised, so rather than respond there (since it was not a recent posting) I thought to apply some perspective in a posting here. The usual issues raised were the lack of frequency of her mention in the Bible after the nativity of Jesus, and the appropriateness to call her "Mother." Well, after Jesus ascended into heaven, Acts, written by St. Luke, describes the above gathering. Notice that Mary is the only one mentioned by name besides the Apostles, and not even one disciple is mentioned by name. Mary is identified as "the mother of Jesus." Notice also another order of events that is significant. St. Luke lists the Apostles and then said "all these with one mind continued steadfastly in prayer with the women and Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren." The core of Jesus's family being Mary and the women and Jesus' brethren are joined by the Apostles in "continued steadfast prayer." Mary is the only one mentioned by name as the heart of the ongoing prayer as they await the Holy Spirit. There are a hundred and twenty people and she is the only one mentioned by name beside the Apostles. It is this group then that elects Matthias "to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas fell away to go his own place" (Acts 2:25). And it is this group upon which the Holy Spirit descended as "they were all together in one place" (Acts 3:1). Now, many of the Apostles and most of the disciples are never mentioned again by name in scriptures, leaving some mystery to their specific movements. But Jesus, dying on the cross, gave Mary to St. John as his mother, in some of the few last words the Lord spoke on earth, and in Acts, it is shown that she is by name the heart of the ongoing prayer, and is called "Mary, the mother of Jesus." I think some people miss the profound subtlety of what is described here and how Mary certainly merits the respect that Jesus himself conveyed upon her, and which the Apostles and disciples obediently followed.