Episode 2329: Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary with Sharon

Walt: Welcome, dear listeners, to another episode of Catholic Reboot. I'm your host, Sharon, joined by my wonderful co-host, Walt. Together, we'll reflect on Mary meeting Jesus as He carries His Cross to Calvary.
Opening Prayer:
Sharon: Let us begin this episode in prayer.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O most sorrowful and loving Mother, as we gather today to reflect on the profound moment when you met your Son, Jesus, on His way to Calvary, we ask for your intercession. Grant us the grace to enter deeply into this mystery and to understand the depths of your maternal sorrow. Help us to unite our own sufferings with those of Jesus, and to find strength in His example and your steadfast love. May this reflection draw us closer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and to your Immaculate Heart. We ask this through Christ our Lord. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sharon: Hello, everyone. It's an honor to be here, delving into these profound moments in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this episode, we'll explore the heart-wrenching encounter between Jesus and His Mother on the way to His crucifixion, as depicted in Luke 23:26-31.
Sharon: Let's start by reading the passage from Luke's Gospel that sets the scene for this sorrow: Walt can you read it?
"As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him. Jesus turned and said to them, 'Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for yourselves and for your children. For the time will come when you will say, "Blessed are the childless women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!" Then they will say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!" For if people do these things when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?'” (Luke 23:26-31)
Walt: Imagine the agony Mary must have felt seeing her Son in such a state. The Gospels don't explicitly describe their meeting, but tradition and the Stations of the Cross give us insight into this sorrowful encounter. There is a great scene in the movie “Passion of the Christ” by Mel Gibson where Christ says to his Mother “Look Mother I make all things new again” That is so profound because he was the perfected Adam and Mary the perfected Eve. At that moment, they both knew they had rebooted Man so to speak.
But St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his reflections, speaks of the profound suffering Mary endured seeing Jesus so bloodied, beaten, and reviled.
Sharon: Indeed, Walt. Mary's Immaculate Heart was pierced by a sword of sorrow at this moment. She saw her beloved Son, who she had nurtured and loved, carrying the heavy Cross towards Calvary, the place of His execution. Despite the overwhelming pain, she remained steadfast, offering her suffering in union with His for the redemption of humanity.
Walt: St. Bernardine says that to form an idea of Mary's grief in losing her Son by death, we must consider the love she bore Him. All mothers feel their children's sufferings as their own, but no mother ever loved a child as Mary loved Jesus. He was her only child, her most loving and divine Son, who came to kindle the fire of divine love in hearts.
Sharon: Yes! Speaking of St. Bernardine do you mind if I expand on that?
St Bernardine said, Hence the woman of Chanaan, when she prayed the Saviour to deliver her daughter from the devil that tormented her, said to him, that he should have pity on the mother rather than on the daughter: “Have mercy on me, oh Lord, thou son of David, my daughter is grievously troubled by a devil.” But that mother ever loved a child so much as Mary loved Jesus? He was her only child, reared amidst so many troubles and pains; a most amiable child, and most loving to his mother; a Son, who was at the same time her Son and her God; who came on earth to kindle in the hearts of all the holy fire of divine love, as he himself declared: “I am come to cast fire on the earth, and what will I but that it be kindled?” Luke 12:49
Now, let us consider how he must have inflamed that pure heart of his holy mother, so free from every earthly affection. In a word, the blessed Virgin herself said to St. Bridget, that through love her heart and the heart of her Son was one: That blending of hand maid and mother, of Son and God, kindled in the heart of Mary afire composed of a thousand flames. But afterwards, at the time of the passion, this flame of love was changed into a sea of sorrow.
Sharon: Even more so, the Blessed Virgin revealed to St. Bridget that her eyes were always filled with tears as she thought of her beloved Son, whom she was about to lose. On the day of His passion, her body was covered in a cold sweat from fear. When Jesus came to take leave of His Mother before His death, Mary spent the night without sleep, her heart consumed with sorrow.
Therefore, as she also said, a cold sweat covered her body from the fear that seized her at that prospect of approaching suffering. Behold, the appointed day at length arrived, and Jesus came in tears to take leave of his mother before he went to death.
St. Bonaventure, contemplating Mary on that night, says: Thou didst spend it without sleep, and while others slept, thou didst remain watching. Morning having arrived the disciples of Jesus Christ came to this afflicted mother, one, to bring her this tidings, another, that; but all tidings of sorrow, for in her were then verified the words of Jeremias: “Weeping, she hath wept in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks; there is none to comfort her of all them that were dear to her.” One came to relate to her the cruel treatment of her Son in the house of Caiphas; another, the insults received by him from Herod. Finally, for I omit the rest to come to my point, St. John came and announced to Mary that the most unjust Pilate had already condemned him to death upon the cross.
Walt: The sorrow was immense because Mary's heart and Jesus' heart were one, a union of love that, during the passion, transformed into a sea of sorrow. St. Bernard and St. Bonaventure describe how Mary, following the blood-stained path of Jesus, met her Son amidst His suffering. This encounter, described as the fourth sword of sorrow, reveals the depth of her maternal love and pain.
Sharon: St. Alphonsus writes that all the sorrows of the world united would not equal Mary's sorrow at this moment. As St. Lawrence Justinian notes, the greater her love, the deeper her wound. The sight of her Son, bloodied and bearing the cross, hearing the insults and seeing the instruments of His death, was almost too much to bear. Yet Mary did not faint or die; she endured, united with Jesus in His suffering.
Walt: As they looked at each other, both their hearts were pierced with sorrow. Mary followed Jesus to Calvary, determined to share in His passion. This scene calls us to reflect on our own crosses and how we can unite them with Christ's, drawing strength from Mary’s example.
Sharon: O Mother of Sorrows, how it must have wounded your tender maternal heart to see your beloved Son Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary! Through this bitter sword of sorrow, obtain for us the grace to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus with perseverance and love.
Conclusion:
Sharon: Thank you, dear listeners, for joining us in this episode. As we meditate on this profound moment, let us ask for the intercession of Our Blessed Mother to help us carry our crosses with the same courage and love that she and Jesus demonstrated.
Walt: We hope this episode has inspired you to draw closer to Mary and Jesus in your own spiritual journey. Remember, no matter the weight of our crosses, we do not carry them alone. Our Lord and His Blessed Mother are always with us.
Sharon: Until next time, may the peace of Christ be with you all. God bless.
Walt: God bless.
Concluding Prayer:
Walt: Let us close our reflection with a prayer.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
O Mother of Sorrows, as we conclude our meditation on your encounter with Jesus on the way to Calvary, we thank you for your unwavering faith and immense love. Through your intercession, may we receive the grace to bear our own crosses with patience and love, following the example of your Son. Help us to trust in God's plan and to offer our sufferings for the redemption of souls. May we always seek to console your Immaculate Heart and remain close to you and Jesus in all our trials. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.