"Our Sorrowful Mother on Good Friday" by Danielle Heckencamp (CatholicMom.com) Copyright 2017 Danielle Heckenkamp. All rights reserved.

Very few things can compare with the unconditional love of a mother. It’s a bond that unites the mother to her child for all eternity - a bond that can only be understood by the heart of a mother. It is an unfathomable connection that endures the joyful moments and the sorrowful moments in union with her children.

As mothers, we desire to mold our children’s hearts towards sainthood – a perfect union of love with Our Lord. We have been given an exemplary model of motherhood, by a woman who portrayed a holy beauty that shined forth in her daily life – the Mother of Jesus. Our Blessed Mother sorrowed throughout her entire life, but her profound grief is seen most vividly in union with the Passion of Our Lord on Good Friday.

Our Lady, on Good Friday, suffered alongside her dear Son as she walked the Way of the Cross and knelt before the Cross as her Son suffered and died. These images of contemplation should be our armor and comfort as we follow our vocations each day as Our Lady did. For mothers, it is only natural to suffer beside our own children, but that suffering is only a drop compared to the ocean of sadness felt by Mary.

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“Never be afraid of loving the Blessed Virgin too much. You can never love her more than Jesus did.” – Saint Maximilian Kolbe

When our children stub their toes, suffer embarrassment, or fall away from the Faith, we can only stand by and give small consolations – a kiss for the injury or kind words of comfort. As mothers, we may not physically experience the pain, but we emotionally endure it. It aches our hearts to watch our children cry out in distress or anxiety – it’s an interior torture with little relief.

So it was with the Blessed Mother as she remained near Christ as He suffered through the physical pain, the mockery, the emotional torments, and His death upon the cross. Yet, Mary remined steadfast near her Son. For in those moments of Him being God and Man, He also remained her child as she endured the pains as a mother would.

As Mary witnessed the pains of her Son, she gave it all to God and so we can also follow this example. As our own children suffer through the pains of life or make bad choices, we may be forced to watch and suffer in silence, similar to Our Lady. God has bestowed upon each one of us Free Will, and with this great gift comes great responsibility. The years of childhood are short and we are given our children only temporarily, for they are children of God to be raised for His Love and His Glory. It may be difficult to let go at times, but there is consolation in knowing that Our Lord and Our Lady love our children so very dearly, so much so, that they both suffered in the Passion on Good Friday.

As we meditate on Our Lord’s Passion during Holy Week, He would not want us to overlook the sufferings of His Mother who is our perfect example of Christian charity as she radiates faith and hope. Let us remember the steps Our Lady took as her Son walked the Way of the Cross on Good Friday.

"Our Sorrowful Mother on Good Friday" by Danielle Heckencamp (CatholicMom.com) Copyright 2017 Danielle Heckenkamp. All rights reserved.

Motherhood is a beautiful vocation, but it also brings a host of sacrifices and sufferings. Many of us have experienced the loss of a child, pregnancy complications, post-partum depression, the wayward soul of a child, or the daily sufferings that accompany motherhood. Take each one of those sufferings and bring them to the Blessed Mother in the form of sweet smelling flowers and place them at her feet, for there is a great honor to Our Lord than when we honor His Mother.

"She is more Mother than Queen." -Saint Therese of Lisieux

For the bond of a mother and child is strong and endures through the ages, just as we hold our children in our arms when they are young and in our hearts when they grow older. Let us vow to meditate upon the sufferings of Our Lord’s Passion not only on Good Friday, but each day of our life. For these sufferings, unify all mothers with the Blessed Mother who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth. She is the most perfect and exquisite of all mothers as her love never fades, but remains steadfast for her Beloved Son and for all of God’s children.

 

Copyright 2017 Danielle Heckenkamp