Our Blessed Mother Mary

***For the next two weeks, I will be steering my Lenten Blog Challenge into the direction of The Way of the Cross, also known as The Stations of the Cross, Via Crucis, and Via Dolorosa. These names are used to signify either a series of pictures or tableaux representing certain scenes in the Passion of Christ, each corresponding to a particular incident, or the special form of devotion connected with such representations. I will be posting a Station each day, then reflecting on that Station. To read more about the Way of the Cross, click HERE.

STATION IV: JESUS MEETS HIS MOTHER

The only pain more intense than Jesus' own physical suffering must have been seeing the effect it had on His mother - our mother. How badly Mary must want to take His place. The deep love of the mother for her only Son reveals something about the Father's love as well. The prophecy of Mary's own suffering unfolded before her tear-filled eyes and, still, she trusts. Mary believed that God would bring joy through the sadness. Her gentleness brings Jesus temporary relief from the pain but could not save Him, for He had not yet saved us.


REFLECTION:

Sometimes we are grateful enough to feel a little how Mary felt when she saw her son in pain. Mothers lose children and have to see them suffer, parents see their children sick and unable to "fix" them. We begin to question God and his plan for us. We begin to feel that a "just" God would not bring such pain. There was nothing Mary could do, but reach out to her Son. When we are feeling like no one can understand our unbearable pain, someone can. Reach out to our Blessed Mother-- ask her intercession as you pray the Rosary. You might be hanging by a thread, but prayer asking for intercession is mighty and powerful. Sometimes non-catholics feel that catholics "worship" Mary, and look at her as an idolised figure, ignoring Jesus. They are wrong. Just as you ask your friends and family to pray for you in a hard time, we ask our Blessed Mother to intercede for us. She knows all, even before we ask. She is Immaculate, Mother of Christ, Virgin Most Powerful, Vessel of Honor, Ark of the Covenant, Queen of Peace, so as we draw near to her, she pulls us in closer to her Son. Forever she is united to Christ. "She is the most perfect and the most holy of all creatures and Jesus, who came to us in a perfect manner, chose no other road for his great and wonderful journey." Just as Jesus was her child, we are too. She is with us always, just like she was with Jesus on his final walk. I couldn't help but to share a small story with you that occurred this week, that I think is a sign from our Blessed Mother.

-- I got a message from my neighbor- I hadn't seen her in some time since she is working on her Master's Degree at Lamar and is from Saudi. I was excited to see what she was up to. She told me she had a dream the night before. In her dream, I was pregnant and I was so beautiful and happy. She told me that in the dream, I told her that my mother had helped me to find a medication that helped me get pregnant. I was showing her this medication in a magazine in the dream, but that is all she remembered. I replied with a big thank you, and told her I was unfortunately still not pregnant, but that I would tell her when it happens and that I wonder if that is a sign from above! She replied again "You were so pretty in pregnant, I hope as you say that it is a sign from above :)" I ended up forwarding the message to hubby and didn't really think about it again, until he got home. We got to talking about it and he asked me "Did you take that as a sign from above?" I told him yes, but I wasn't sure about the "mother" part. He instantly said-- that was a sign from your mother, your Blessed Mother, Mary. A tear fell, and I knew. She knows the desires of my heart. She sees my pain, she was reaching out to me, as she reached out to her Son, Jesus.