Opening Prayer
O Jesus, I contemplate the agony of Thy Cross and the desolation of Thy Mother. As the sword passes through her soul, let me not stand as a mere spectator, but as a child seeking shelter within the shadow of her grief.
Mother of Sorrows, I request shelter within the “wound of His side.” When the world mocks and the darkness falls, let me find my station with thee, the “Lioness” seeking her cub, remaining close to Jesus until the very last.
Amen.
John 19:25-27
25Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen. 26When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son. 27After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
Blessed Virgin Mary
As described in the “Dialogue with St. Anselm,” the scene is one of “bitter agony.” Mary, though “paralyzed with grief,” stood with heroic fortitude. The source describes her rushing to Him like an “anxious lioness” separated from her cub. It is here, in the “Book of the Passion,” that we witness the moment Jesus, seeing His mother and the disciple He loved, issued His final testament, commending the human race to her maternal care.
The impact of Jesus’s words, “Woman, behold thy son,” is a powerful help at our own last hour. As the Mother of the Dying, Mary’s presence at the death of her Son merited the grace for her to give special assistance to her children at their own death. We must also contemplate the profound mystery of her suffering: “Twice He crucified her: once by His human nature and again by His Divine nature.” This dual crucifixion illustrates that her pain was both natural as a mother and supernatural as a participant in the Divine Will.
“At the cross her station keeping, / Stood the mournful Mother weeping, / Close to Jesus to the last.”
— Stabat Mater
Mary and the Magisterium
At the foot of the Cross, Mary’s role as the “Comforter of the Afflicted” was magisterially solidified. The Church teaches that she is the “Help of Christians” and the “Refuge of Sinners” because she co-operated in the benefit of our redemption by her innumerable afflictions. Her presence at the Cross allows her to “implore for us, the crucifiers of thy Son, tears of contrition.”
- As you visualize the "Lioness" at the foot of the Cross, where do you stand in the crowd? Are you among the indifferent, or are you keeping station with her?
- Do you trust that Mary, who stood by her Son in His last hour, will truly be your "defense" and "victory" at your own last hour?
Closing Prayer
Holy Mother, pierce me through; in my heart each wound renew of my Saviour crucified.
Amen.
