John 19:26–27 with St. John Paul II
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, 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.”
With these words we find ourselves at the foot of the Cross with Mary, the mother of Jesus and John, the beloved disciple of Christ. We also discover that we are at the center of a profound mystery of our faith. The exchange between these three comprise an important “message of the cross,” according to Pope St. John Paul II, for they are “supreme words of love.” Mary’s presence at the cross is more than just the natural love and affection a mother has for her suffering child, although it does involve that. John Paul II observes that “Mary’s presence at the cross shows her commitment to total participation in her Son’s redemptive sacrifice.” Mary freely and fully accepts, “with Christ, the mysterious plan of the Father.” Her position indicates that the mother of Jesus “forever remains the perfect model of all who would accept to associate without reserve with the redemptive offer.” Christ’s mother, then, teaches us the art of uniting our minds and hearts with the will of God especially in times of suffering.
The suffering of Christ in which we have a share is often not what we would choose for ourselves. Mary would never have wanted her Son to suffer and to die in this way; yet, she trusts in God’s plan. This offers us a chance to reflect on crosses in our own life. When suffering enters our life, as it does in every person’s life, what is our response towards it? Jesus’ entrusting of his mother to the disciple’s care illustrates his “testament of love” for all his followers throughout the ages. The experience of having received Mary’s “motherly love” in his own life is something Jesus “wanted his disciples to also enjoy … as part of the relationship with him throughout the development of their spiritual life.” As we grow in our life of discipleship to Christ we should also nurture a relationship with his mother. Having Mary as a mother is something Jesus wants for us as well. As we consider our Christian lives, Pope John Paul II invites us to have affection for the Blessed Mother and to allow “her to form us in true docility towards God, in true union with Christ, in true charity towards neighbor.” Pope John Paull II asks each disciple to “welcome Mary into his home, in his life” and to strive to “appreciate more and more the gift that the crucified Christ has given us, leaving us his own mother as our mother.” 30
