At the foot of the Cross, Mary: Day 245

At the foot of the Cross

In this poignant lament, St. Anselm grieves with Our Lady as she stands at the foot of the Cross.

My most merciful Lady,
how can I speak of the fountains of tears that flowed from your most pure eyes
when you beheld before you your only Son, bound, beaten, and wounded?
What do I know of the flood
that flowed over your face, unlike any other,
when you beheld your Son, your Lord, and your God, innocent, yet stretched out upon the Cross,
when the Flesh of your flesh
was viciously slaughtered by wicked men? How can I understand what sobbing shook your most pure breast
when you heard the words, “Woman, behold your son,”
and to the disciple, “Behold, your Mother,” when you received as your son
the disciple in place of the Master, the servant in place of the Lord?
—St. Anselm of Canterbury

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .
Imagining Our Lady’s suffering as she watched her Son die can give me a clearer idea of how very much she sacrificed for me. What might I have said to her if I had stood with her below the Cross?

CLOSING PRAYER
From “Thirty Days’ Prayer to the Blessed Virgin”: Through that sword of sorrow that pierced your tender heart while your only Son suffered death and shame on the Cross, take pity, I beg you, on my poverty and need; have compassion on my anxieties and cares; assist and comfort me in all my infirmities and miseries.

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