CHAPTER XXV Of the suffering of the Lord with His Mother’s grief, and His commendation the one to the other of Blessed M
CHAPTER XXV
Of the suffering of the Lord with His Mother’s grief, and His commendation the one to the other of Blessed Mary and St. John
I BLESS Thee, and give thanks to Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, Comforter of all that mourn, for the sorrowful glance which, in Thy mercy, Thou didst cast upon Thy dearly-loved Mother as she stood beneath Thy Cross, worn out with the intensity of her grief. How intense that grief was, Thou alone best knew, from Whom the most secret motions of her heart were not hid; for, upon earth, there was nothing more dear to Thee than Thy Virgin Mother; and she loved nothing so much as Thee, her God and her Son, Whom, although Thou wert the Fruit of her womb, she knew, without doubt, to be her Maker and the Lord of all things. When, therefore, she saw Thee, Whom she loved above all else, hanging upon the Cross, her heart was in Thee, rather than in herself; and being lifted, as it were, outside herself, she will, in spirit, have hung with Thee upon the Cross, even when, in the body, she was standing weeping at its foot.
I praise and glorify Thee for the exceeding great compassion with which, as a Son, Thou didst condole with Thy most sorrowful Mother, to whom all Thy anguish was as if it had been her own; who wept over each wound of Thine, as if it had been inflicted upon herself; and whose heart was racked with fresh pain as often as, with a mother’s eye, she saw blood flowing from Thy Body, or heard Thy voice as Thou spakest to her from the Cross.
I laud and magnify Thee for those most gracious words, few in number though they were, which Thou didst at length speak to Thy disconsolate Mother, when Thou didst commend her to Thy well-beloved disciple John, as to a most faithful steward, and didst bring together in an indissoluble bond of love the Virgin and him who was vowed to chastity, saying to her: “Woman, behold thy son,” and then to Thy disciple: “Behold thy mother.”
O happy union, and pleasing commendation, shared and consecrated by virgin purity! For in these words Thou didst on the one hand show forth Thy loving care for Thy Mother’s honour, by giving her the protection of Thy chaste disciple, and on the other hand Thou didst, as it were, supply Thy place to her, by assigning to her another son, who, by the chastity of his life was suited to give her a home, and who might be depended on to provide her with the necessaries of life. What Thou didst was what Thy feeling as a son prompted Thee to do, that so the spotless Virgin, who was Thy holy Mother, might always have a faithful attendant; and when deprived of Thy most sweet presence, might never feel as if she were left alone in the world, and as a stranger among the Jews.
May this sacred arrangement, this most fitting commendation by thy Son, be pleasing to thee, O loving Mother of God: welcome thankfully the disciple whom thy Son Jesus has assigned to thee. This is John, the Apostle, chosen as one of unstained life, more beloved than the other apostles, gentle in his manners, kind in his speech, bashful in his looks, modest in his carriage, temperate in his food, homely in his dress, dutiful and obedient: this is the disciple whom thy Son loved, who is related to thee by blood, well spoken of by all, pure in mind, chaste in body, pleasing to God, beloved of all men, fitted in every way to be thy companion, O Mother of God. I know indeed full well, that thy will was, and is, in accordance with thy Son’s will, and that it must always have been thy supreme wish to do what was ordained by Him, Who in all that He did sought not His Own Will, but His Father’s glory; and so I cannot doubt that when, as the hour of His departure was at hand, He left John to supply His place to thee, what He did was pleasing to thee.
Take to thyself, then, holy John, the precious treasure thus made over to thee. Take to thyself the holy Virgin, the Mother of Jesus, worthy of all reverence, the Queen of Heaven, the Mistress of the World, thy own beloved aunt, thy mother’s sister. Till now the Blessed Virgin Mary has been called thy aunt by right of blood; henceforth, by special grace entrusted to thy care, she shall be called thy mother, by a more sacred title, that is by right Divine: and thou too, who hast hitherto been known as the son of Zebedee, according to the flesh, as the brother of James the Greater, as the kinsman of thy Lord and Saviour, and afterwards as his disciple, shalt now receive the new name of Mary’s adopted son; and shalt minister to her with the love of a son, over and above that love of a nephew which thou always hadst for her. Do then as Christ bids thee; fulfil the holy commendatory injunction, and thou shalt be well-pleasing to all men, and honoured throughout the world.
Most blessed John did as Jesus had bidden him from the Cross. From that hour the disciple took her to his home, watched over her, carefully ministered to her, most faithfully submitted himself to her, and loved her with his whole heart, as if she had been his own mother.
Be glad and rejoice, O blessed Saint John, in the trust committed to thee: for what in all the world Christ held most dear, that He made over to thy care. He gave thee great wealth, when He bequeathed to thee Mary, whom even the Holy Angels cannot worthily praise. To Saint Peter Christ gave charge of the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, but He made thee His Own Mother’s chamberlain. Formerly Mary was betrothed to holy Joseph, but now she is entrusted to thee as to her second guardian. To holy Joseph an Angel had said: “Fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife,” now it is the Lord of Angels Himself Who says to thee: “Behold thy Mother,” in order that, as Joseph was not wanting in his duty to the Virgin at the birth of her Son, so neither shouldst thou fail in thy duty to her, whether at the hour of Christ’s Passion, or in the long years that will follow after His Ascension into Heaven. Had indeed most blessed John the Baptist been alive, I should have thought that he, by right of near kinship, and on account of his chaste life, would have been a fitting person to act as guardian, and as the Bridegroom’s friend: but since Joseph is no more, it is for thee so supply the place of all those dear ones, and to be to her as a son instead of Christ, Who has been taken from her side. I trust in the Lord Jesus, that thy brother James and the rest of the Apostles will hail with joy this arrangement; that not one of thy friends will be envious of thee, and that every faithful soul will contentedly rejoice with thee.
O blessed Saint John, this high reward was won for thee by thy many virtues, to wit, by thy perfect contempt of the world, thy love for Jesus, the gentleness of thy manners, thy virginal chastity, thy even-mindedness, thy frankness, the purity of thy conscience, and the probity of thy life. Take, then, the Mother of Christ into thy care, and so doing thou shalt win abundant grace; much profit shalt thou have through her, and high shalt thou rise; for by her words thou shalt be instructed, by her example thou shalt be edified, by her prayers thou shalt be helped, by her admonitions thou shalt be inspirited; thou shalt be inflamed with love; thou shalt rise higher in devotion; thou shalt be lifted up in meditation; thou shalt be filled with joy; thou shalt abound in consolation; thou shalt enjoy the things of heaven: from her lips thou shalt hear Divine mysteries; thou shalt be taught things hidden from the world; thou shalt understand what others can only wonder at; thou shalt comprehend things unspeakable. By dwelling with her, thou shalt become more chaste than before; thou shalt remain altogether pure; thou shalt increase in holiness; thou shalt become more and more devout. Her every glance is modesty itself, her every word prudence, her every act justice, her scripture-reading Jesus, her meditation Christ, her contemplation God. The beauty of her countenance bursts forth as light; her looks, though awe-inspiring, keep no one from approaching her; her refinement brings purity to all who behold her; her words drive away every evil thing. Such, and so great, is the high rank of Mary, that she surpasses all other Saints in purity and grace; and to her shalt thou be as a guardian assigned to her by the Most High King of Heaven Himself. Be, then, diligent in thy attendance on her; pay to her the honour which is her due; watch over her to the best of thy ability. Stand at the foot of the cross; watch by the Virgin’s side; when she is worn out support her in thine arms; embrace Mary; when she is fainting, raise her up; when she is bathed in tears, comfort her; weep with her when she weeps; sigh with her when she sighs; go with her when she walks; stand with her when she stands; sit with her when she sits. Leave her not in her grief; do that work of mercy; and then get ready for the burial of Jesus, Who is about to die. Take the Mother with thee to the Sepulchre, bring her back to the city, take her to thy house; comfort her who is the comforter of all who are forlorn. Thou art in this case permitted to be the consoler of one of higher rank than thyself; be then to her as a ministering angel. In His Agony Christ was strengthened by an angel; although He needed it not, yet He willed to be attended by one beneath Him, and He refused not the angelic consolation. Behold, O John, who art so very dear to me, to what holy duties thou art called; of what high estate that Virgin is who has been commended to thee, and Whose Mother she is who has been entrusted to thy care!
Now, therefore, I humbly beseech thee to pray earnestly for me, a sinner, that I too may be on fire with love for Christ, and may be more devout than ever in praising the Blessed Virgin, and more and more full of compassion for her grief.