By Edmund Elorm Ackuaku
Sacred Scripture records vividly the passion of one Man, Jesus Christ, whose death brought salvation to the human race and reconciled the world to God. The Paschal Mystery summarized this for us as we contemplate the suffering, death, and Resurrection of Jesus. The major events of His suffering were on Good Friday. We often imagine Jesus carrying a big heavy Cross and bathed in blood. Our focus is almost always steered to the Passion of Jesus in the Lenten Season, especially the Holy Week.
We usually forget one figure in this period of the liturgical year. This indelible figure is our Blessed Mother Mary. Her role in the life of our Lord cannot be forgotten so soon unless mankind has decided to be ungrateful to this generous woman by failing to honour Her. Even some Christians refuse to honour Her. The words of St. John Eudes can be applied to this ungrateful generation of Christians who are not ready to honour Mary, A man is no true Christian if he has no devotion to the Mother of Jesus Christ. We often stand in the distance trying to pluck and eat the fruit produced by a firmly rooted tree. Before we can get in touch with that fruit we need to get near the tree and if possible climb it. That tree is Mary and the fruit is Jesus. Eve ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden and Mary, through her Fiat, bore the fruit. We should, therefore, never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. We can never love her more than Jesus did (St. Maximilian Kolbe).
The passion of Mary, 'the way of the Cross of Mary' as Archbishop Palmer Buckle will call it, started the very moment the Angel Gabriel appeared to Her. The courage to accept the offer of becoming the 'Theotokos' (God-bearer) is a very great and challenging decision for a young virgin like Mary, betrothed to devout Joseph. This is a demanding task. This was just a minor starting point of her suffering, not the major.
The Dolours of Mary, rooted in scripture, will help us contemplate her passion alongside her Son, Our Lord. They are seven in number reminding us of the perfective meaning of seven. This reminds us that she had a perfect suffering and surmounted temptations. A model for all Christians in times of temptation and trials. St. Josemaria Escriva will tell us that “as soon as we finally allow a dialogue with temptation to begin, the soul is robbed of peace, just as consent to impurity destroys grace. Because she was not a par with or did not consent to temptations, the allurements of the flesh, the fullness of grace in her was never destroyed.
She was hurt at the prophecy of Holy and Aged Simeon when Jesus was being presented in the Temple (Cf. Luke 2:33-35). This will be a trying moment for a young virgin girl like Mary when she was told that a sword will pierce her heart. 1st Station.
Let us also remember the flight into Egypt when Herod, the dragon in Apocalypse, was seeking the child Jesus to bump off (cf. Matthew 2:13-15). Mary protected the child which tells us about her protective role in our lives. 2nd Station.
Mary had the twelve year old Jesus missing for three days and this will be a torturous moment for the parents, especially Mary (cf. Luke 2:41-52). Imagine the search they had done as Jesus was comfortably teaching in the Temple. 3rd Station.
When Mary met Jesus carrying the Cross and looking at how disfigured his handsome Son was, the 4th Sword of Simeon pierced her Heart. The son was being led to the slaughter and treated like a worm and no longer recognized as a human being. 4th Station.
The 5th Sword lanced Mary's heart as she saw her Son die on a Cross. What a shameful death! One could imagine how this woman would be feeling within herself at this time. 5th Station.
Even after the death of the young man, mankind, represented by the soldier near the Cross, thrusted the Lance and opened the side of Jesus and pierced His most adorable Heart. What a cruel act! By piercing Jesus' heart, the soldier was lancing the 6th sword into Mary's heart. 6th Station.
Burial was the only option left. Jesus was buried. 7th Station.
Now what is our suffering? Can we also identify the stations of our own Crosses which we carry daily and follow Christ? Like Mary, my brothers, let us allow the swords of life to pierce us. She should be our model in times of trial and temptation. She has set the pace and we need to follow suite. The Immaculata will help us if we have recourse to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the tree which bore the fruit. On our journey towards the priesthood, let us turn to this noble and courageous woman in humility and she will teach us how she haboured all those swords and successfully went her way of her own Cross. She alone will lead us to the fruit we desire, Jesus our Lord. Let the passion of Mary be our inspiration and strength on our journey to the priesthood. May she intercede for us. Amen.
“May I give you some advice for you to put into practice daily? When your heart makes you feel those low cravings, say slowly to the Immaculate Virgin: Look on me with compassion. Don't abandon me. Don't abandon me, my Mother! -- And recommend this prayer to others.” ~ St. Josemaria Escriva
Amen
Great piece bro
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