Thought of the Day April 16, 2019 Mary, our mother, at the cross
Mary at the cross
Even though Jesus is struggling to stay alive
as he hangs from the cross, he still is thinking of others. First, he forgives
those who caused this. Second, he shows mercy and love to fellow crucified
companion. Now, he desires to provide for his own Mother. She is probably a
widow, since the last we heard of Joseph was when Jesus was twelve. The
presumption is Joseph has died.
Since Jesus was the only child of Mary, he
was legally bound to care for his mother’s needs. When he dies, she will be
totally bereft of any support and care. To make sure she is taken care of,
Jesus hands her over to the care of John the Apostle and John to her. “Jesus said to his mother: ‘Woman,
this is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple: ‘This is your mother.’" What an honor to John to be given the Mother
of the Master to provide and care for!
Someone
has said that “this shows Jesus' humanity and the depth of love he had
for his mother and the disciple into whose care he entrusted her."
At first, it seems
that Jesus was not showing much affection for Mary by calling her woman, rather
than mother. But the term was deliberately chosen by Jesus to connect Mary to
the mystery of salvation. In the Garden
of Eden, after the fall of Adam and Eve, God promised to send a Savior to
restore human beings back to a relationship with God. Addressing Satan, God
said: “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and hers; He will strike at your head, while you strike
at his heel.”
About the Author
0 comments