john 19:26-27
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.
Reflection
As we enter into Ordinary Time, the Church honors our Mary as Mother of the Church. We are taken to Calvary with Jesus on the cross, where in some of his last words, he tells Mary to “behold [her] son” and subsequently tells the disciple John “Behold your mother”. This was essential in that time because without St. Joseph to care for Mary, and Jesus about to die, there would be no one left to care for her as a widow. If there were other siblings of Jesus as some have wrongly claimed, this would make no sense to entrust Mary to another man because these siblings would have taken care of her after Jesus’s death. We profess Mary as a Perpetual Virgin, before and after the birth of Christ.
Additionally, these words are of uttermost importance because they not only establish Mary as mother of John, but also of ALL Christians. We are entrusted to her care at the foot of the cross. When Jesus was in immense suffering, he gave us the one gift he had left, his mother.
Do we view Mary as our mother? Do we ask for her intercession? One way we can grow closer to Mary is by meditating on the life of Christ through the holy rosary. Through the many Hail Mary’s and Our Father’s, hold Mary’s hand as she walks you through the mysteries of her son’s life.
When in suffering, know that Mary already has suffered the most excruciating emotional pain in losing her only son. She loves each of us as one of her own children. The birth pains that may or may not have been felt in Bethlehem were undoubtedly felt at Calvary as she became our mother. But she knew it was necessary to lose her son, Jesus, such that she may become mother of us all.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1:38
The Healing Word 