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| “The Pietà (Mary Lamenting the Dead Christ)” by Baciccio, 1667. |
(includes Optional Sequence – Stabat Mater)
(note: the Gospel for this Memorial is from the Proper)
Commentary:
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 10:14-22
Commentary on 1 Cor 10:14-22
St. Paul ties together his theme on the unity of the Church with an eloquent description of the Eucharistic meal. He goes on to describe how taking part in the Eucharistic meal, for the Christian, is a participation in Christ’s sacrifice and mission. He contrasts this holy meal with the Jewish and pagan practice of eating foods sacrificed to idols. Drawing upon the concept that the power behind pagan idols is demonic put forward in Deuteronomy 32:7, the Apostle calls the community to stand faithfully with Christ – no compromise is possible.
CCC: 1 Cor 10:16-17 1329, 1331, 1396; 1 Cor 10:16 1334; 1 Cor 10:17 1621
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 116:12-13, 17-18
R. (17) To you, Lord, I will offer a sacrifice of praise.
Commentary on Ps 116:12-13, 17-18
This selection from Psalm 116 recalls the Passover ritual referring to the “cup of salvation.” The psalm rejoices in God’s saving works in releasing the people from their bondage. This psalm of thanksgiving gives us the image of the “cup of blessing.” It is this cup that the Lord first blessed at the Last Supper and used as our communion cup.
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Gospel:
First Option: John 19:25-27
Commentary on Jn 19:25-27
Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618). [4] The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679
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OR
Second Option: Luke 2:33-35
Commentary on Lk 2:33-35
In this passage we hear the prediction of Simeon, a man, we are told earlier, who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel.” Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he had seen the Messiah. He has declared that this promise has been fulfilled, and then turns to Mary and makes the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry, and the nature of the sorrow she will endure: “and you yourself a sword will pierce.” The sword indicates that Mary will have a share in her Son’s sufferings. Hers will be an unspeakable pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword of Mary’s pain.[5]
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Reflection:
Today we remember in memorial Mary the Mother of God who followed her Son through his life and thereby suffered as only a mother can suffer. The Church traditionally remembers seven specific events in the life of Mary that are called her Seven Sorrows. (Note the Hebrew numerological significance of the perfect number, seven (7).) It is noteworthy that all of her Seven Sorrows were scriptural. They include:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon.
2. The Flight into Egypt.
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days.
4. Meeting Jesus on the Way to Calvary.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross.
7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb.
Two of these events are options for our Gospel today. In John we find Mary at the foot of the Cross as Jesus is being crucified and in Luke, she is hearing the awful prophecy from Simeon the mystic. While the Gospel of Luke predicts the sword of sorrow that will pierce Mary’s heart, it is more wrenching to hear the story of that event taking place in the Gospel of John.
Anyone who has had a child badly hurt can get an idea of the suffering Mary went through at the Cross. Only one who as lost a child in death can fully come to grips with Mary’s anguish as she watches her Son slip into death on the Cross. We can feel her pain as her “brave little soldier” has spikes driven through his hands and feet. We can feel the hot tears as he is taken down from that place and laid, dead, beyond help, in a stranger’s tomb.
It is because of her humanness that we can so easily identify with her. It is at these moments in her life, when pain and suffering threatened to overcome her, that Mary demonstrates the virtue and strength of one who was worthy of the title Mother of God. Mary always shows us the strength of the Holy Spirit and the peace only faith in her Son can bring.
Today’s memorial is a reaffirming event for us. The Son of God, who is True God and True Man had a mother, Mary. His mother went through the same human trials that mothers from the beginning of human history have endured. She has demonstrated for us the fruits of faith and the strength of love that is our example of virtue.
Our prayer today is a simple one. We take it from the hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa:
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ, my Lord.
Pax
[1] The picture today is “The Pietà (Mary Lamenting the Dead Christ)” by Baciccio, 1667.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco
[5] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton , NJ
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