What Did the Virgin Mary Do When Jesus Was Crucified?

[AngryAtheist8]

What (if anything) did the Virgin Mary do when her son Jesus Christ was crucified?

For that matter, what did the Mother of God do when Jesus was publicly humiliated and tormented before his execution?

 

[Della]

Stood by him, supporting his decision to allow himself to be offered up for our sins.

Why? What do you think she should have done? And what good, if any, do you think it would have done if she had done any differently?

 

[traillius]

I imagine she prayed, and shared the pain. Its not like she had political, legal, or physical power to change anything. She might have had spiritual influence, but being the woman that she was, she would not do anything contrary to the will of God.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

What (if anything) did the Virgin Mary do when her son Jesus Christ was crucified?

For that matter, what did the Mother of God do when Jesus was publicly humiliated and tormented before his execution?

She stood at the foot of the cross, having followed Him throughout His entire journey. It’s recorded in the gospels.

Can you imagine (being a mother, I can) what it must have been like to see the child you bore and nutured and loved and supported, taken, mocked, tortured, and finally crucified? Even with knowledge that this ‘must be’, even with complete and total trust in God, it’s not as though she wasn’t affected by this. Ever hear of the "Seven Sorrows/Dolors of the Blessed Virgin?’ She knew even as far back as the presentation of her then 40-day-old son that “a sword would pierce her heart.” (It’s recorded in the gospel). And still she praised God and trusted in Him, and she stood by with her son. If it had been necessary she would have been crucified physically with Him. However (again, as a mother, I can understand this) she was willing to go as far as was needed. If all she could do for Him was to physically be there, no matter how much agony she suffered seeing Him in HIS agony, she would be there. Like Abraham, she was willing to offer her only Son if God demanded it. And while Abraham only prefigured the sacrificial offering of humanity to the Father, Mary actually embodied humanity’s offering, through and with Christ who died for us. With Job she could say, “The Lord gave and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

 

[AngryAtheist8]

She stood at the foot of the cross, having followed Him throughout His entire journey. It’s recorded in the gospels.

Can you imagine (being a mother, I can) what it must have been like to see the child you bore and nutured and loved and supported, taken, mocked, tortured, and finally crucified? Even with knowledge that this ‘must be’, even with complete and total trust in God, it’s not as though she wasn’t affected by this. Ever hear of the "Seven Sorrows/Dolors of the Blessed Virgin?’ She knew even as far back as the presentation of her then 40-day-old son that “a sword would pierce her heart.” (It’s recorded in the gospel). And still she praised God and trusted in Him, and she stood by with her son. If it had been necessary she would have been crucified physically with Him. However (again, as a mother, I can understand this) she was willing to go as far as was needed. If all she could do for Him was to physically be there, no matter how much agony she suffered seeing Him in HIS agony, she would be there. Like Abraham, she was willing to offer her only Son if God demanded it. And while Abraham only prefigured the sacrificial offering of humanity to the Father, Mary actually embodied humanity’s offering, through and with Christ who died for us. With Job she could say, “The Lord gave and the Lord takes away, blessed be the Name of the Lord.”

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

 

[NE_Catholic]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

would you have let your mother get involved knowing she would probably be tortured or killed?

 

[Dorothy]

Mary understood what was happening, far beyond what any of us can understand.

Although her heart was pierced with sorrow, she was totally in union with her Son.

Luke 2:34,35 "And he said to Mary his mother, “You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected. And a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.”

 

[Della]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

I believe I answered your objection, as did we all. Jesus could have easily have stopped the whole thing himself. He didn’t need his mother to bride a guard (as if that would have even worked) or plead with Pilate. Pilate himself questioned Jesus quite closely and was willing to let him go with just a flogging, but if you read the accounts, he wimped out, as Jesus knew he would, when he saw he’d have a riot on his hands (and be accused of being against Ceasar) if he didn’t let the crowds have their way.

Besides, why pick on Mary in all this? Do you really think her doing anything would have made any difference? She knew her son was who he was–the Son of God. She trusted that what he was allowing to happen he wanted/needed to happen for the betterment of all humankind.

You may as well ask why the mothers of the 9-11 firefighters and police who went in the WTC didn’t beg them to stay out and save themselves. They had a job to do and they were committed to doing it because they believed it was their duty and they could save lives. And both were true–the did their duty and the saved many thousands of lives. Jesus has save millions by his actions and his mother agreed completely with the way he did it as well as why he did it.

 

[The_Old_Medic]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

You really don’t know much about Christianity, do you Atheist?

Mary submitted to the will of God when she accepted a pregnancy out of wedlock. In those days, Joseph would have been perfectly within his rights to have her stoned to death for adultery. She knew this, but she was willing to submit herself to God, and trusted in God to do right by her.

Mary knew who, and what, Jesus was. This was made obvious at the wedding feast at Cana, when she outright asked her son to perform a miracle, and turn water into wine.

Mary knew that her son would have to die, so that the rest of us could be redeemed.

Once again, she submitted herself to the will of God. From the Cross, Jesus turned her over to the care of his disciple John. “Son behold your mother. Mother, behold your son,” He was quite literally placing John into a son relationship with Mary, so that she would be taken care of throughout the rest of her life (This was VERY important under Jewish law. A widow without children was virtually ignored, and could easily starve. Jesus saw to it that his mother was properly cared for after he died and was resurrected.

To compare Mary to our own mothers is not relevant. Our mothers were born with original sin. Our mothers did not have the Living Son of God as their baby. They did not raise the Son of God as their child. They did not have the knowledge, and the perfect submission to the will of God, that Mary had.

Just because you can’t understand something does not make it untrue. Remember, at one time, virtually everyone KNEW that the earth was flat, and that if you sailed too far, you would fall off the edge. For many centuries, everyone KNEW that the Universe revolved around the earth.

Just imagine, if you relly opened your mind, what you might learn.

 

[Barbkw]

You can read the accounts of her activity in various areas throughout the Gospels.

P.S. Jesus gave Himself up to death freely.

His Apostle Peter attempted to stop Jesus from traveling to His death in Jerusalem and Jesus called him Satan.

Mary was forewarned of Jesus’ death on the day that He was circumsized. In addition, as a faithful Jew, she would have been very familiar with the prophecy of Isaiah.

P.S. Just wondering, how would you react if I were pissy toward your Mom’s suffering?

 

[tobbias88]

Rather strange question. What did Peter’s wife & kids do when he went off preaching?
How did Judas’ wife manage when he hanged himself? In fact what did all the wives do when these guys went off preaching?

You seem to have forgotten the historical & cultural context of the execution of Jesus and the condition of women in that era. This man ( to the Roman authorities & Jewish people) was a common criminal - a terrorist in today’s language - what do you expect her to do? Women had no power whatsoever and were of litttle or no account even to their husbands unless they produced sons pronto! - camels were much more valuable.( Jesus’ own remark at Cana wedding feast - Woman what is that to me? - jars with modern female readers.) It was & still is a man’s world.
As in Saudi Arabia today when a son or husband is beheaded the family were expected to watch and condone the ‘justice’ of the State. Women were of no importance in Palestine in Our Lord’s day. In fact they still are of little consequence in that most backward area.
(read Rizana Nafeek’s plight in Saudi Arabia)
Not until after the Resurrection when they saw this dead guy strolling in the garden, on the lake shore, chatting & eating a meal with them, did folk slowly realize the huge significance of the events. Had that not happened, Jesus would just have been another nameless victim of Roman justice - totally forgotten. As far as we know no other human being has risen from the dead in flesh & blood, not as a ghost. This clinched it for most folk and still does today.

Enjoy your quest; stop feeling angry. Jesus loves you & hopes you’ll join him some day.

 

[PattiDay]

What TANTUM ERGO said!!!

Read John 3:16 Would you ask Mary to intervene and to go against what God had ordained?

Why is it that you refer to yourself as AngryAtheist?

 

[Bub]

What (if anything) did the Virgin Mary do when her son Jesus Christ was crucified?

For that matter, what did the Mother of God do when Jesus was publicly humiliated and tormented before his execution?

No one really knows, you need to invent a time machine

 

[PatriceA]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

What you see as passive, I see as her actively participating in God’s plan for us mere sinners. She submitted to her son giving his life to save us all. There is no passive actions in what she did while her son was being tortured and crucified. Her selflessness is the ultimate love a mother can give, for she is the mother of us all, not just Jesus.

 

[patrick457]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

Actually, that she was even just standing there is something.
Jesus was put to death under Roman law as a condemned criminal with rather grave crimes upon His head. The last thing someone associated with a condemned criminal would ever do, if he was sane enough, is to come near him and watch, lest you give the authorities an excuse to arrest and probably kill many in your group as well. This is also partly why I think the way Jesus is often shown taken down and buried in art (with multitudes of His disciples close by) is probably a bit wrong: the fact that a group of such people would congregate around the body of a man executed in ‘the most wretched of deaths’ would not have escaped the Romans’ attention. Plus, the family of the deceased was actually discouraged by Jewish custom to carry out the customary mourning rituals in public for a criminal!

Not to mention that being a woman, her choices are very limited. Let’s face it: they lived in a world where the whole idea of political correctness and gender equality did not exist. Most of the men in Jesus’ group ran away, which basically left only the women (who could not actually do anything - and not just in a bodily sense) to watch the proceedings.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

Passive creature? You don’t find your statement at all ‘judgmental’?

You seem to forget that Jesus chose to offer Himself up for us. For Mary to go around and try to ‘save’ Him would be the most foul **disobedience and distrust of God. **

What she did was not passive but active. and it took far more guts than you’ll ever imagine, apparently.

 

[Des]

You seem to forget that Jesus chose to offer Himself up for us. For Mary to go around and try to ‘save’ Him would be the most foul **disobedience and distrust of God. **

Yes. Peter wanted to stop it and Jesus called Him Satan. The Blessed Mother Mary understood that the Will of God would not want Her to prevent it. So knowing what She knew, would have been siding with the devil. Likewise, since God is also Her Son, attempting to stop the crucifixion would have on the contrary been a very disobedient and unloving thing to do.

 

[PatriceA]

Actually, that she was even just standing there is something.
Jesus was put to death under Roman law as a condemned criminal with rather grave crimes upon His head. The last thing someone associated with a condemned criminal would ever do, if he was sane enough, is to come near him and watch, lest you give the authorities an excuse to arrest and probably kill many in your group as well. This is also partly why I think the way Jesus is often shown taken down and buried in art (with multitudes of His disciples close by) is probably a bit wrong: the fact that a group of such people would congregate around the body of a man executed in ‘the most wretched of deaths’ would not have escaped the Romans’ attention. Plus, the family of the deceased was actually discouraged by Jewish custom to carry out the customary mourning rituals in public for a criminal!

Not to mention that being a woman, her choices are very limited. Let’s face it: they lived in a world where the whole idea of political correctness and gender equality did not exist. Most of the men in Jesus’ group ran away, which basically left only the women (who could not actually do anything - and not just in a bodily sense) to watch the proceedings.

But even though times and the roles of women in our society are vastly different from Jesus’ time, I can’t help but think if it all took place here and now, Mary would still choose the same actions. I don’t think she would ever do what AngryAtheist says his mom would do. People would still scoff at her being “passive” and totally miss the point.

 

[Tantum_ergo]

But even though times and the roles of women in our society are vastly different from Jesus’ time, I can’t help but think if it all took place here and now, Mary would still choose the same actions. I don’t think she would ever do what AngryAtheist says his mom would do. People would still scoff at her being “passive” and totally miss the point.

Exactly, AA and his friends are missing the point. The point was not to ‘save’ Jesus from a death. The point was that He had chosen to do this to save us. Anybody who was trying to ‘stop’ His death and suffering would be acting **against God. **

 

[pablope]

It disturbs me that this passive creature is held up as the Ideal Woman.

I know that my own mother would not have just stood by while I (or one of her other children) was crucified. She was not a stupid or violent person so I doubt she would have tried physically rescuing me.

But she might have tried pleading with Pilate, bribing a guard (to help me escape), or even just smuggling something in to me. She would definitely have done SOMETHING.

Yes, she did something…as revealed through the saints of the Catholic Church…

She forgave those who crucified Her Son…and instead of condemning them, she forgave them and gave them LOVE…Loved them instead…

Just as She loves you know…if you just open your heart to Her…she will envelop you with Love…