Commentary on Hebrews 5:7-9; Luke 2:33-35 or John 19:25-27

There are two choices for today’s Gospel reading. The first is from Luke’s account of the Presentation in the Temple. While they were in the Temple, Mary and Joseph met the holy man Simeon, who had been promised that he would not die before laying eyes on the Messiah. When he meets Mary and Joseph, he recognises the Messiah in the baby she is holding. He then proceeds to make some prophecies about Jesus and, addressing Mary herself, tells her:

…a sword will pierce your own soul, too.

He does not specify what that “sword” might be, but now we can see that it particularly alludes to the suffering and death of Jesus which she witnessed. However, the “sword” can also be applied to the other painful experiences we remember as the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

The alternative Gospel reading is from John’s account of the Crucifixion where he mentions that “his mother” was present as her Son died:

…standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

Also standing next to his mother was “the disciple whom he loved”.

Seeing them there, Jesus entrusts the ‘Beloved Disciple’ to the care of his Mother, while telling the Beloved Disciple that Jesus’ Mother is now his also. Some would see in this scene the Mother of Jesus as symbolising the Christian community. There is to be a relationship of mutual support between the community and its dedicated members. The community exists for the well-being of the individual members and each member is committed in turn to the well-being of the community.

The First Reading is from the Letter to the Hebrews and speaks of Jesus’ passionate prayer to his Father that he not have to go through the terrible death of the Cross. And his prayer was heard because of his total submission to his Father. It was precisely through the acceptance of his suffering that he learnt to be totally at one with the will of his Father:

…and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him…

He became a source of salvation for all who unite themselves to him. And who was more united to Jesus than his Mother? It is because of her acceptance of and identification with the sufferings of her Son that we celebrate her memory today.