V 14 They all met together and were constantly united in prayer, along with Mary the mother of Jesus, several other women, and the brothers of Jesus.
The resurrection changed everything! The disciples stayed together (I thought they might all run away back to Galilee!) and John took Mary under his wing so that she stayed with them in the same upper room where they had celebrated the Passover. Jesus’ brothers were there too, along with their mother Mary, and they spent time praying together.
Mary, it seems, had spent her life waiting, and even now having witnessed Jesus’ ascension, she is still waiting! Jesus had told them ‘“Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”’ (Act 1:4)
So she waited, and the Holy Spirit filled her and all the disciples just as Jesus had promised. We have no clear idea of what became of Mary after that, but she is a wonderful example of waiting patiently for God to fulfil his promises, even in the face of extreme grief and suffering.
Heavenly Father, I have to acknowledge that patience does not come easily to me. I am a child of an age in which instant gratification is the order of the day. Even whilst I am waiting, more or less patiently, for the return of Jesus, strengthen my faith to hold on to that promise. AMEN