Following yesterday's celebration of the meaning and mystery of the Cross, today we reflect on John's Gospel 19:25, which tells us that Mary the mother of Jesus stood beside His Cross. As usual, John is not stating a mere fact but pointing to a mystery, the mystery of Mary's participation in Jesus' Passion through the sorrows and sufferings of her own life, which culminated in the sorrow of seeing her Son crucified.

When Jesus gave John into Mary's care, He was acting as the Lord of history and the Cross was His throne of glory; hence Mary is Mother of Christ the King and Mother of His Church. Jesus told the disciples on the way to Emmaus: "Did not the Messiah have to suffer and so enter into his glory?" (Lk. 24:26). Today's memorial reminds us that, like Mary, we can prepare ourselves to receive the glory of eternal life which Jesus won for us by His Passion and Death, if we accept the sorrows and suffering in our life as a purification which forms us as beloved disciples and as apostles, eager to bring the good news of salvation to the world.