Jesus meets his blessed mother

Continuiung our meditation on the Way of the Cross taken from The Way of the Cross with the Curé of Ars, written by Mgr Keith Barltrop, Jesus meets his blessed mother.

We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you.

Because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world.

Simeon said to Mary, his mother: "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against, and a sword will pierce through your own soul also." Luke 2:34-35

The Curé has a childlike admiration for God’s handiwork in creating Our Lady:

"The good God could have created a more beautiful world than the one which actually exists, but he could not have brought into being a more perfect creature than Mary." The Curé

This grace given to Mary is, however, entirely related to her divine maternity, that is, to her motherhood of the Son of God, and of the Church.

"The heart of the most Holy Virgin is the source from which Jesus drew the blood which redeemed us. Our Lady brought us to birth twice: at the Incarnation and at the foot of the Cross: she is thus our mother twice over." The Curé

How could such a mother not share her son’s compassion for sinners?

"Our Lady is so good that she always treats us with love and never punishes us. In the heart of the Most Holy Virgin, there is nothing but mercy! The greater our sin, the more tenderness and compassion she has for us. The child who costs his mother the most tears is the dearest to her heart. Doesn’t a mother always chase after the weakest and most vulnerable child? Isn’t a doctor in a hospital concerned above all about the most seriously ill patients?" The Curé

PRAYER

Father, as we contemplate the compassionate love of the Virgin Mary, the mother of your Son, may her prayers give us the strength to share his cross, and the compassion to pray and work for the salvation of all, especially those most in need of your mercy. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Our Father…

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.

Quae moerebat et dolebat,
Pia Mater, dum videbat
Nati poenas inclyti.

Picture © John Salmon, Stations of the Cross in the parish church St Silas, Kentish Town, London
Text © St Pauls Publishing