Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
The Pentecost marked the coming of the Holy Spirit fifty days after the resurrection. But if we do simple math, seven weeks of seven days, seven times seven are only forty-nine. The extra day is added to draw our attention to Mary as the Mother of Hope. From the Acts of the Apostle, we know that Mary is one of those taking part in preparation for Pentecost. In the upper room in Jerusalem, Mary, along with the other disciples, was waiting in Hope for the new coming of the Holy Spirit. Mary does not have to be there waiting for the Holy Spirit because she has experienced the descent of the Holy Spirit during the Annunciation, so she was already a "temple of the Holy Spirit." But she remained amid the disciples as their Mother, as the Mother of Hope.
In Spe Salvi, the late Pope Benedict XVI said that at the foot of the cross, Mary became the Mother of Hope. Based on the strength of the words of Jesus, Woman, behold, your Son!" Mary received a new mission as the Mother of Hope: the Mother of all those who believe in her Son, Jesus, and wish to follow Him. At the Annunciation, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and at Pentecost, Mary brought forth new life for the children of the Holy Spirit. As the Constitution Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council said, Mary plays an instrumental role "in the regeneration and formation of brothers of Christ with her motherly love." At Pentecost, the Church began to look to Mary as a model of Hope, a hope that she received as a gift of the Holy Spirit.