Thought of the Day April 17, 2019 Woman, behold your son
Woman, behold your son.
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.”
Later, at the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry,
Mary informed Jesus that the couple was running out of wine for their wedding
feast. His response was: “Woman, how does your concern affect
me? My hour has not yet come.’ His mother said to the
servers, ‘Do whatever he tells you."
And finally, Mary is referred to as woman in the Book of
Revelation as she completes her role on earth.
“A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with
the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.”
According to Pope Benedict XVI: Calling Mary, woman, “the name, which
seemed so lacking in affection, actually expresses the grandeur of Mary's
enduring mission.”
What
an exchange the son of a fisherman in place of the Son of God. From that moment
on, John takes care of Mary. Tradition says that eventually they moved from
Jerusalem to Ephesus, until the death of Mary.
But
there is a deeper spiritual meaning in this exchange. By God’s design Mary, the
mother of the Savior, became the mother of the saved, our mother. We have been
entrusted into her hands to be cared for and to accompany us on our spiritual
journey back to the Father.
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