Reflection: From the crib to the Cross...

In the pain at the Foot of the Cross, Mary must have remembered the day of the Presentation when she and Joseph brought the Baby Jesus to the temple. She knew sorrow was to come through the words of Simeon:

Simeon said to Mary, "And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed." Luke 2:34-35

Today, we stand at the Foot of the Cross with Mary. The pain of Jesus and Mary is unbearable. His pain is her pain. His agony is her agony. For three hours, Jesus suffered unspeakable pain yet He died this way so that we may live.

As we stand at the Foot of the Cross, Blood and Water gushes forth from the pierced side of Jesus, and He gives His Mother to John and to us:

"Behold your Mother." John 19:27

O Blood and Water, which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a Fount of Mercy for us, I trust in You.  Chaplet of Divine Mercy

Mary, who brought Our Savior into the world and watched Him grow, stood helplessly at the Foot of the Cross. She knew this had to be and she accepted it, stood there and mourned silently.

Let us stand with Mary at the foot of the Cross and unite our sufferings with her. As His Body is taken down from the Cross and He is placed in Mary's arms, let us kneel beside them and tenderly speak to Jesus, our Merciful Savior.  No matter what we suffer, the pain of loss, rejection, abandonment, betrayal, illness, Jesus and Mary are with us.  We are never alone. Let us stand with Mary at the Foot of the Cross where Grace and Mercy meet.

Let us reflect on two words, and yet, from Morning Prayer from the Book of Habakkuk. Remember that no matter what sufferings and hardships we endure, the Lord is our strength and He will be with us always.

For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, and yet I will rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God.  God, my Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet swift as those of deer and enables me to tread upon the heights.  Habakkuk 3:17-19


From the crib to the Cross...