The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the challenge of sorrow and suffering to faith as we journey to full life.
The reading from Hebrews begins our reflection.
Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him,1
Psalm 100 declares that all lands are summoned to praise God.
* [Psalm 100] A hymn inviting the people to enter the Temple courts with thank offerings for the God who created them. * [100:3] Although the people call on all the nations of the world to join in their hymn, they are conscious of being the chosen people of God.2
In the Gospel of John, we hear “And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.”
* [19:26–27] This scene has been interpreted literally, of Jesus’ concern for his mother; and symbolically, e.g., in the light of the Cana story in Jn 2 (the presence of the mother of Jesus, the address woman, and the mention of the hour) and of the upper room in Jn 13 (the presence of the beloved disciple; the hour). Now that the hour has come (Jn 19:28), Mary (a symbol of the church?) is given a role as the mother of Christians (personified by the beloved disciple); or, as a representative of those seeking salvation, she is supported by the disciple who interprets Jesus’ revelation; or Jewish and Gentile Christianity (or Israel and the Christian community) are reconciled.3
Luis Rodriguez. S.J. shares that women named Dolores are part of a long tradition in the Spanish/Hispanic culture. The name was initially María de los Dolores -Mary of Sorrows, later simplified to Dolores, and is based precisely in today’s liturgical celebration.
In a way, this is what we recall today liturgically: a mother’s grief and anguish at the death of the One she loved most, executed unjustly, and also a compassionate solidarity on the side of the disciple who took her under his care. We do not grieve today for Mary, except liturgically, because her own pain and anguish are now over. But we can try to resonate with what she went through at that moment, resonating with gratitude for her having accepted to take us all under her care, as in today's gospel narrative, Jesus commended the disciple to her: there is your mother.4
Don Schwager quotes “Mary stood at the cross with her Son Jesus,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"Mary, the mother of the Lord, stood by her Son's cross. No one has taught me this but the holy Evangelist John. Others have related how the earth was shaken at the Lord's passion, the sky was covered with darkness, the sun withdrew itself (Matthew 27:45) and how the thief was, after a faithful confession, received into paradise (Luke 23:43). John tells us what the others have not told, how the Lord while fixed on the cross called to his mother. He thought it was more important that, victorious over his sufferings, Jesus gave her the offices of piety than that he gave her a heavenly kingdom. For if it is the mark of religion to grant pardon to the thief, it is a mark of much greater piety that a mother is honored with such affection by her Son. 'Behold,' he says, 'your son.' ...'Behold your mother.' Christ testified from the cross and divided the offices of piety between the mother and the disciple..." Nor was Mary below what was becoming the mother of Christ. When the apostles fled, she stood at the cross and with pious eyes beheld her Son's wounds. For she did not look to the death of her offspring but to the salvation of the world. Or perhaps, because that 'royal hall' [Mary as bearer of the divine King] knew that the redemption of the world would be through the death of her Son, she thought that by her death she also might add something to that universal gift. But Jesus did not need a helper for the redemption of all, who saved all without a helper. This is why he says, 'I am counted among those who go down to the pit. I am like those who have no help' (Psalm 88:4-5). He received indeed the affection of his mother but sought not anothers help. Imitate her, holy mothers, who in her only dearly beloved Son set forth so great an example of maternal virtue. For neither have you sweeter children, nor did the Virgin seek the consolation of being able to bear another son." (excerpt from LETTER 63.109-11)5
The Word Among Us Meditation on John 19:25-27 comments that television shows and movies love to portray characters who experience great challenges and tragedies but who find a way to keep going and reach goals that seemed unimaginable. Stories like these can be very inspiring. Today’s feast of Our Lady of Sorrows can connect with us in the same way. As a young woman, Mary agreed to be mother to the Son of God. From the moment she accepted this mission, she endured great hardship and sorrow but succeeded in fulfilling all that God had planned for her to do.
Mary’s role after Jesus’ resurrection reflects Paul’s words in today’s first reading: “All the parts of the body, though many, are one body” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Each of us is an integral part of the body of Christ. We all have gifts and talents that build up the Church. But like Mary, we also experience times of pain, doubt, and suffering. Reflecting on Mary’s reaction to her sufferings can encourage us to stay close to the Lord through them all.6
Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Gifts of the Spirit, in commenting on the USCCB choice of texts today. A symbolic understanding of the Gospel of John today calls on the Church to raise children for Christ. Friar Jude connects the alternate passage from Luke to the challenge to Mary to believe that Jesus is Divine.
Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Diana L. Hayes, an African American Catholic theologian and scholar, who describes the “wounding” of the African American community and their faithful courage which has brought forth so many sacred gifts in the United States and beyond.
African American spirituality was forged in the fiery furnace of slavery in the United States. The ore was African in origin, in worldview, in culture, and in traditions. The coals were laid in the bowels of ships named, ironically, after Jesus and the Christian virtues, which carried untold numbers of Africans to the Americas. The fire was stoked on the “seasoning” islands of the Caribbean or the “breeding” plantations of the South where men, women, and children of Africa were systematically and efficiently reduced to beasts of burden and items of private property. Yet those who came forth from these fires were not what they seemed. Despite the oppressive and ungodly forces applied against them, they forged a spirituality that encouraged hope and sustained faith, which enabled them to build communities of love and trust and to persevere in their persistent efforts to be the free men and women they had been created to be. . . .7
In sorrow and suffering, we may become open to accepting a role that helps others through our experience.
References
African American spirituality was forged in the fiery furnace of slavery in the United States. The ore was African in origin, in worldview, in culture, and in traditions. The coals were laid in the bowels of ships named, ironically, after Jesus and the Christian virtues, which carried untold numbers of Africans to the Americas. The fire was stoked on the “seasoning” islands of the Caribbean or the “breeding” plantations of the South where men, women, and children of Africa were systematically and efficiently reduced to beasts of burden and items of private property. Yet those who came forth from these fires were not what they seemed. Despite the oppressive and ungodly forces applied against them, they forged a spirituality that encouraged hope and sustained faith, which enabled them to build communities of love and trust and to persevere in their persistent efforts to be the free men and women they had been created to be. . . .7
Shorter https://www.one-tab.com/page/P-gl9i2ERI2jC-mRlinzgQ
The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today invite us to ponder the challenge of sorrow and suffering to faith as we journey to full life. The reading from Hebrews begins our reflection. Psalm 100 declares that all lands are summoned to praise God. In the Gospel of John, we hear “And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.” Luis Rodriguez. S.J. shares that women named Dolores are part of a long tradition in the Spanish/Hispanic culture. The name was initially María de los Dolores -Mary of Sorrows, later simplified to Dolores, and is based precisely in today’s liturgical celebration. Don Schwager quotes “Mary stood at the cross with her Son Jesus,” by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D. The Word Among Us Meditation on John 19:25-27 comments that television shows and movies love to portray characters who experience great challenges and tragedies but who find a way to keep going and reach goals that seemed unimaginable. Stories like these can be very inspiring. Today’s feast of Our Lady of Sorrows can connect with us in the same way. As a young woman, Mary agreed to be mother to the Son of God. From the moment she accepted this mission, she endured great hardship and sorrow but succeeded in fulfilling all that God had planned for her to do. Friar Jude Winkler reflects on the Gifts of the Spirit, in commenting on the USCCB choice of texts today. A symbolic understanding of the Gospel of John today calls on the Church to raise children for Christ. Friar Jude connects the alternate passage from Luke to the challenge to Mary to believe that Jesus is Divine. Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces Dr. Diana L. Hayes, an African American Catholic theologian and scholar, who describes the “wounding” of the African American community and their faithful courage which has brought forth so many sacred gifts in the United States and beyond. In sorrow and suffering, we may become open to accepting a role that helps others through our experience.
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