"The Sorrowful Mother Stood" - ("Stabat Mater" - stanza 11)

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On this Palm Sunday, we continue pondering our Mother’s part in the Passion of Jesus, as we listen to the words of the hymn, “Stabat Mater”, from stanza 11:

Holy Mother, pierce me through
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

At Mass today, God willing, we will hear the Gospel of Luke relating the account of Jesus’ passion. By God’s grace, we will listen with the ears of our heart, that indeed, we may by Mary’s intercession have our hearts renewed by the sufferings of Christ.

At every Mass we are enabled by grace to stand with our Sorrowful Mother, and offer ourselves at the Offertory and give ourselves with Jesus to the Father at the Consecration, united as Mary was to Jesus in her heart and totally given to God. Both their hearts were pierced – His Physically and hers spiritually. Jesus died for us, but we are called to die to self that we might live His Life.

At Communion, we receive the Resurrected Jesus and with Mary we adore Him as our Savior. Mary prompted by the Holy Spirit sang in her “Magnificat” carrying Jesus in her womb:

My soul Glorifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior

When the Risen Jesus appeared to His Disciples His first Word to them was “Peace” for they were so frightened but as Jesus revealed to St. Teresa of Avila, he appeared to His Mother first for she needed to be comforted. Let us draw closer to Jesus through, with , in and for Mary during this Holy Week, that we may ever draw closer to Jesus and through Him to our Father by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

[mythbuster1]

No surprise. The Blessed Virgin wasn’t at the tomb that morning because she knew He would arise, but as His Mother, it was fitting that she should be the first to see Him arisen, and to know that it was finished.

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear mythbuster,

What a gift Mary is to us! What a model for our union with God! No wonder Jesus would tell us from His Cross:

Behold your Mother

She is Mother and Model for the Church. The world needs us to be making her known by being like her. St. Louis de Montfort wrote in his Introduction to the treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”:

1. My heart has dictated with special joy all that I have written to show that Mary has been unknown up till now, and that that is one of the reasons why Jesus Christ is not known as he should be.

If then, as is certain, the knowledge and the kingdom of Jesus Christ must come into the world, it can only be as a necessary consequence of the knowledge and reign of Mary. She who first gave him to the world will establish his kingdom in the world.

If you or anyone else reading this thread has not read St. Louis De Montfort’s classic little treatise on True Devotion to Mary, I encourage you to read it Prayerfully and Slowly – asking the Holy Spirit to give you grace to “Behold our Mother” with deeper Faith, Hope and above all Charity.

St. John Paul II wrote that reading de Montfort’s “True Devotion” was a turning point in his young life. St. Teresa of Calcutta also encouraged her Missionaries of Charitym to read “True Devotion”. The online version can be read HERE