Jesus suffered most to see his mother’s grief, Mary: Day 247

Jesus suffered most to see his mother’s grief

Mary’s grief beside the Cross was like a living death, insists St. Alphonsus; and her Son’s greatest sufferings came from watching her sorrow.

The afflicted mother saw her Jesus suffering on every side. She desired to comfort him, but could not. And what grieved her the most was to see that she herself, by her presence and sorrow, increased the sufferings of her Son.

“The grief that filled Mary’s heart,” says St. Bernard, “like a torrent flowed into and grieved the heart of Jesus. So much so, that Jesus on the Cross suffered more from compassion for his mother than from his own torments.”

The saint then speaks in the voice of our Blessed Lady: “I stood with my eyes fixed on him, and his on me. And he grieved more for me than for himself.” Then, speaking of Mary beside her dying Son, he says: “She lived dying, without being able to die. Near the cross of Christ, his mother stood half-dead, without speaking. Dying, she lived; living, she died; nor could she die, for death was her very life.”

The biographer of blessed Baptista Varani of Camerino writes that Jesus Christ himself one day spoke to her about this. He assured her that when he was on the Cross, so great was his affliction at seeing his mother at his feet in such bitter anguish that compassion for her caused him to die without consolation. The blessed Baptista, being supernaturally enlightened about the greatness of this suffering of Jesus, exclaimed, “Lord, tell me no more of this sorrow of yours, for I can no longer bear it!”

—St. Alphonsus Liguori, The Glories of Mary

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

Have I ever experienced the anguish of watching a loved one in agony, while being unable to relieve that loved one’s pain? Does such an experience help me to understand more deeply how Jesus could have died from grief for his mother?

CLOSING PRAYER

Jesus, for the sake of that agony you experienced on Calvary when you saw your mother grieving beneath the Cross, grant me a happy death, so that, loving Mary and you on earth, I may come to love you eternally in heaven.

__________________________________________________________________________
Remember to subscribe to my feed so you will not miss a day! This recurring feature at The Catholic Blogger is possible through the cooperation of author Paul Thigpen and publisher Saint Benedict Press. To get your own copy of this book, click below.