Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Meditation for the Month of Holy Souls V


Death of Jesus
"And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull). There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his Mother, and his Mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, 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 to his own home. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "E'lo-i, E'lo-i, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last. (Mk 15:22; John 19:18; Mk 15:34; Lk 23:46)

For some reason, I find this sorrow of Mary to be one of the more difficult ones to meditate upon. Perhaps its because her sorrow at this time is incomprehensible, perhaps because I don't want to really face what it would be like to witness your own child murdered, or more likely, its that I have little faith. Whether praying the rosary's fifth sorrowful mystery, or Mary's sorrow at the death of Jesus - I often picture her before the cross, much like in the above painting. I imagine her offering her own pain together with her Son's to the Father for the redemption of the whole world. I see her stretch out her arms to Him who is her life as He suffers unbearably. Mostly I just throw myself at her feet in spirit and simply spend time there. It it well to simply be there when one cannot say or do anything. Love can be expressed quite well with only presence, no words, prayers or mystical contemplations are neccessary.

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