Tuesday, March 14, 2017

 

THE FOURTH STATION: Jesus Encounters His Mother

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary …“You yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

—Luke 2:34–35

What must Mary have been thinking, standing there in the midst of suffering, looking at her son? What pain must have been in her heart? What doubt? And yet we know that she followed Christ until the end and beyond, being present to his friends, comforting them in their fear, encouraging them as the young Church grew. Mary’s desire to love and serve God overcame the suffering she encountered.

How appropriate, then, that we are invited to consider the life of Evelina, a mother in Zambia concerned for the welfare of her son. Reflecting on her own childhood, she knew that the food she had grown up eating did not provide the kind of nutrition she wanted her son to have. So, she learned what food she needed and how to prepare it—and now her son is growing up strong and healthy.

How do we respond to the needs of others, whether in our immediate family or in our global one? Let us look to Mary and the example she sets for us as she meets Christ carrying the cross.