Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 1:14)
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever. (Psalm 16:11)
Jesus’ father and mother were amazed at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:33-35)
Piety
Come and see
What I have done.
I’ve given my only son.
Study
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| Pietà, Michelangelo, St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons |
Sorrow is every bit as much a part of life as joy. Just look around. Homes destroyed by flooding in Texas. Elderly people dying in a nursing home without air conditioning in the wake of Hurricane Irma in Florida. Families torn apart, the children coming home from school and discovering that ICE has seized and detained a parent. Young adults brought here as children wondering if their dreams of living and working in the United States, maybe even becoming citizens, are about to go up in smoke.
Today we remember Mary as our Lady of Sorrows. As I cared for my infant great-nephew yesterday, I looked at him and pondered how Mary must have felt when she heard the shepherds tell of the angels’ proclamation about her newborn son. Because of how he was conceived, she must have known Jesus was destined for something special, but the Savior of the world? What crossed her mind when Simeon said Jesus was destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel and that she herself would have her heart pierced on account of being Jesus’ mother? I’m sure she had no idea that Joseph and she would soon feel the need to take their child and become refugees in Egypt to keep him safe. I doubt she pictured Jesus missing for three days in the Temple or the crazed anxiety she and Joseph would feel until they were reunited. No mother thinks about things like that when holding their newborn. As I gazed on the infant sweetness in my lap and listened to the soft breathing and little baby sounds, I know Mary never imagined a future that would hold a crucifixion. I’m sure she never thought of one day bearing the greater weight of her adult son’s lifeless body across her legs.
It’s probably a blessing that we don’t know what sorrows the future holds. We would drive ourselves crazy with fearful anticipation. We might forget that it is possible to endure the unendurable, albeit it not unscathed when God is by our side.
For much of my life, I found Mary an elusive person. I couldn’t identify with her. Looking at all the statues in our churches, I wondered how anyone could feel close to a woman who looked so serene, knowing all she had gone through in her life. Even statues of Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows didn’t seem very realistic. It was only through St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises that I came to know and love the mother of our Lord. The Mary of my contemplations is an older woman, one who openly speaks of her greatest joy – being privileged to have been Jesus’ mother and to have encountered him as the Risen Christ – and her deepest sorrow – watching as her son was tortured and having to stand by in silence as he died on the Cross. She is a woman who can laugh one moment and be immersed in deep reflection the next. Above all, she is a woman of unsurpassed faith, aware of God’s presence and love every moment of every day.
Action
Perhaps there is some sorrow you are carrying in your heart. Entrust it to Mary, who understands your suffering. She knows, as did Paul in different circumstances, that God’s grace is abundant. Ask her to carry your prayer for healing to her son, Jesus.
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