Meditation 67
IN CALVARY - THE THIRD WORD
1. Mary in the Agony of Jesus.
Look at the group of pious women who, standing by the cross, want to keep Jesus company till His death. The greatest proof of our love for Christ is, doubtlessly, to follow Him up to the cross; to be crucified with Him and to die with Him. In the middle of them all, as the leader and model, is Our Blessed Lady. Without Her the other women might not have had the courage to go up to Calvary, might have failed, unable to stand that terrible scene. Mary, with Her example, encourages and supports them. Why in your sufferings do you fail to look at Mary in order to learn from Her how to stand at the foot of the Cross?
In the meantime Jesus had already entered His last agony. A short time remains for Him and He wants to make the most of it in order as usual, to fulfill to perfection all His obligations. He is King and from His cross He bestows eternal crowns like the one He has just bestowed on the good thief. He is Pontiff and High Priest and as such He prays for His enemies. He implores and obtains pardon for their sins. He is the Son of Mary and as Son He looks after Her and does not abandon Her in that moment. He is Teacher, and as such He looks after the faithful disciple who is present there and also after the other faint-hearted disciples who have cowardly abandoned Him.
What an example Jesus gives us! In these moments of sorrow and of untold pain, of crucifixion and of death, when already in His agony, one would expect Him to think only of His own sufferings. Whereas He, on the contrary, thinks of us all; remembers us all. Measure your selfishness with that selflessness, the immense charity of Jesus. How do you behave when you are sick, when you are sorrow-stricken? Do you seek only consolation and complain of any lack of attention?
Learn also how to be faithful to your obligations. Even at that moment Jesus did not dispense Himself from the exact fulfillment of His duties. Shame upon us. How often does not the slightest ailment, the most insignificant indisposition suffice to cause us to abandon our duty . . .
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
IN CALVARY - THE THIRD WORD
1. Mary in the Agony of Jesus.
Look at the group of pious women who, standing by the cross, want to keep Jesus company till His death. The greatest proof of our love for Christ is, doubtlessly, to follow Him up to the cross; to be crucified with Him and to die with Him. In the middle of them all, as the leader and model, is Our Blessed Lady. Without Her the other women might not have had the courage to go up to Calvary, might have failed, unable to stand that terrible scene. Mary, with Her example, encourages and supports them. Why in your sufferings do you fail to look at Mary in order to learn from Her how to stand at the foot of the Cross?
In the meantime Jesus had already entered His last agony. A short time remains for Him and He wants to make the most of it in order as usual, to fulfill to perfection all His obligations. He is King and from His cross He bestows eternal crowns like the one He has just bestowed on the good thief. He is Pontiff and High Priest and as such He prays for His enemies. He implores and obtains pardon for their sins. He is the Son of Mary and as Son He looks after Her and does not abandon Her in that moment. He is Teacher, and as such He looks after the faithful disciple who is present there and also after the other faint-hearted disciples who have cowardly abandoned Him.
What an example Jesus gives us! In these moments of sorrow and of untold pain, of crucifixion and of death, when already in His agony, one would expect Him to think only of His own sufferings. Whereas He, on the contrary, thinks of us all; remembers us all. Measure your selfishness with that selflessness, the immense charity of Jesus. How do you behave when you are sick, when you are sorrow-stricken? Do you seek only consolation and complain of any lack of attention?
Learn also how to be faithful to your obligations. Even at that moment Jesus did not dispense Himself from the exact fulfillment of His duties. Shame upon us. How often does not the slightest ailment, the most insignificant indisposition suffice to cause us to abandon our duty . . .
[Excerpted from 'MARIAN MEDITATIONS' Book by Rev. Dr. Ildefonso R. Villar, Salesian Philippine Province, Nihil Obstat; Imprimatur]
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