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Gospel: John 19:25-34
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
“Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
“It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.
Now since it was preparation day,
in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs,
but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
and immediately Blood and water flowed out.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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The death of Jesus ushers in the rarest moment in scripture. It’s the only three days in history where God seems totally absent; nowhere to be found.
As John says in today’s Gospel, “And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.”
Imagine Jesus wrapped in burial cloths, tucked away in a dark and dusty tomb, concealed by a heavy stone.
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In some sense, Mary becomes a unique source of consolation; she is the closest anyone will get to Jesus during those sorrowful days, because she knew him best. Only Mary was with the Lord for all thirty-three years of his earthly life, from the womb to the tomb.
During those hidden years in Nazareth, Mary watched him grow. She learned his habits; marveled at his heart; soaked in his wisdom; studied his mannerisms; and sought to become ever more like her Son.
There she became his first disciple.
If anyone could speak on his behalf during those days of his absence, it’d be Mary, which is why Jesus says to John in today’s Gospel, “Behold, your mother.”
As the Lord slips into death, Mary will stay and keep watch.
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So, what does this feast of Mary, Mother of the Church, mean for us today?
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She not only offers us the promise of her intercession, she also models for us what a life of complete fidelity to Christ looks like from womb to tomb.
May we, the Church – the body of Christ on earth – continue to learn from her example, who never abandoned the Lord.
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To Mary, we pray:
Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, amen.
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Image credits: (1) Catholic Heart and Mind (2) Christ on the Cross with John and Mary, Marco Pino c 1570 (3) Oblates of St. Joseph