15 Sep Fri
Contemplating Mary beside Christ's Cross.
We now accompany the Blessed Virgin in her sorrow. “She wants us to try to understand the suffering her soul underwent even during Christ's life, and especially during his passion and death.”
At the cross her station keeping
stood the mournful Mother weeping,
close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
all his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword had passed.
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
was that Mother highly blessed
of the sole begotten One!
Let us be filled with repentance. Let us atone by making an act of contrition, of compunction. Without Christ's sufferings for our sins, it is useless to consider the sorrows of our Lady, of his Mother and our Mother.
“Let us never leave Jesus alone. Let us have a great devotion to Christ crucified and a tender, filial devotion to holy Mary, the Mother of God and our Mother, who stands upright, firm, alone or practically alone, her soul pierced with grief, beside the Cross.”
Thus, by meditating on the suffering of Jesus and Mary gives us strength not to dialogue with temptation, as we glimpse the tremendous malice of sin.
Is there one who would not weep,
whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
she beheld her tender Child,
all with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of his own nation
saw him hang in desolation
till his spirit forth he sent.
Our Lady's sorrow should move us to a deep contrition. “On your own part, say something to our Lord, and also to his Mother. Tell her what we would tell our own mother if we saw her offended and mistreated in this way, the object of malicious stares. She endures all of this out of love for her Son.”
“Mother of God and our Mother! We believe everything that the Church has taught over the centuries. And we are saddened to see that some have abandoned you, through their lack of piety. I could have put it more strongly: through their lack of respect, even their scorn for your love, which is such an important and wonderful part of the Christian's interior life”.
O sweet Mother! font of love,
touch my spirit from above,
make my heart with yours accord.
Make me feel as you have felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ, my Lord...
Let me mingle tears with you,
mourning him who mourned for me,
all the days that I may live.
By the cross with you to stay,
there with you to weep and pray,
is all I ask of you to give.
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