Mary Stood By The Cross

Mary Stood By The Cross

Artists and musicians and writers have vied with one another . . .

. . . over the centuries in depicting our Blessed Lady at the supreme moment on Calvary when she stood at the foot of the cross of Christ and watched the death of her Son. They have tried to convey to us how the Mother of God may have looked and felt during the three hours of Christ’s agony and particularly at the instant when He said: “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”

All of them would graciously admit that their attempts, even their greatest works of art or music or literature, fall far short of what the reality must have been. It is difficult enough to portray the feelings and the emotions and the thoughts of any mother in a like situation. It is impossible for human art of any kind to give us even a glimpse of the state of mind and heart of the Mother of God.

There Stood By The Cross

The only account we have is in the Gospel of St. John. It is stark and brief. “There stood by the cross of Jesus Mary His mother”. It leaves one with the impression that not even St. John the beloved disciple felt adequate to describe the moment. The only descriptive term he uses is the word “stood.”

But that word tells us a great deal.

It implies that our Blessed Lady conducted herself as a woman of incredible faith and courage. It shows us that she accepted the suffering and death of her Son as God’s chosen way of redeeming the human race. And, it shows her accepting the death of her only-begotten Son with the grace and dignity of her consent to His Incarnation. “Be it done unto me according to thy word.”

Offering Her Suffering Along with the Suffering of Her Son

We must not imagine that our Blessed Lady had a full understanding of why her Son had chosen this way of redeeming the world. Nor should we think that, because of her fulness of grace and freedom from all sin, there was no pain in her standing on Calvary. She was completely human, as we are completely human, and her grief was the grief of a human mother.

Yet, the word “stood” reminds us that she was not hysterical with sorrow, that she was not overcome by her emotions, that she did not collapse or faint under the hurt that she felt. The Gospel shows her to be a woman of faith and courage, offering her suffering along with the suffering of her Son in order to bring about our salvation.

Contemplate this Picture of our Blessed Mother Standing at the Foot of The Cross

It would be good for us, during the season of Lent, to contemplate this picture of our Blessed Mother standing at the foot of the Cross. Furthermore, it is not a picture that should appeal only to artists and musicians and writers. It has value for everyone. For it helps to remind us that her suffering and grief were part of the price that was paid for our redemption.

But while recalling that we are in part to blame for her sorrow, . . .

. . . we should also remember that she freely accepted this out of love for her Son and out of love for her spiritual children. Her love for Christ was far greater than her grief at His death, and her love for us is far greater than the sorrow we have caused.

It is important, then, that we view the picture of Our Lady at the foot of the Cross as a picture of her concern for us, of her willingness to help us, of her devotion and dedication to the welfare of each one of us.

And it is also important to note that it was at this particular moment in the life of Christ that He said: “Mother, behold your son; Son, behold your mother”.  This was the moment when He proclaimed to the world that she is indeed the spiritual mother of all the faithful. She had no pain or suffering at the birth of her divine Son. That pain was reserved for the time when she was proclaimed the mother of mankind.

Lent is a particularly good time to remind ourselves of the love and veneration we owe her. And it is appropriate that we do it, along with her, at the foot of The Cross.