Our Lady of Mount Carmel 16th July 2016
"Jesus said to his disciple’ Behold your mother ’and to his mother ’Behold your son.’
1R 18,42b-45a Ps.14,1,2-3a3b-4 Jn.19,25-27
“Now, close to the Cross of Jess stood his mother Mary, with his sister’s mother, Mary the wife of Cleophas and Mary Magdalen.”
On this the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Gospel delivers the Covenant to us with Mary, in the prolongation of the Incarnation of Jesus.
Jesus has the Cross for a throne on which it is written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek : ’Jesus the Nazarene , King of the Jews.’
Jesus suffers martyrdom, and is broken by the punishment reserved for slaves; humiliated, he is looked down upon.
But the Cross is the place of elevation and of the glorification of the Son of God.
Jesus’ mission is not a failure, on the contrary, it is the place where his royalty is proclaimed. Stripped of everything, naked and humiliated, Jesus the Nazarene is the divine King who reigns on the whole of the civilised world : Hebrew, Greek and Latin.
Jesus keeps the initiative and control of the situation, he delivers his final wish, he takes care of his mother and of his beloved disciple.
From the top the cross, he delivers his final testimony to those closest to him, to his intimate friends. He who is going to the Father, He will from now be absent, not leaving them in a state of disarray or diminished. He takes care of them right till the end.
We can strongly understand the suffering of this mother who attends the suffering and agony of her son. Mary says nothing. She is diminished, without any control over what is happening.She is, in the deepest part of herself, turned over to the extent of being unable to express the slightest word to the only one she thinks about, her Beloved Son Jesus.
"Seeing his mother, and beside her his beloved disciple, Jesus said to his mother : ’Behold your Son.’
Jesus is very clearly commending John to Mary and Mary to John.
The new relationship began by Jesus between his mother and the beloved disciple isn’t contained to a filial affection.
From the top of the cross, Jesus is founding something that is fundamentally new, God’s family, the Church.The beloved disciple becomes the ’son’, the human replacement of Jesus and therefore, for her Jesus’ successor on, earth.
In the newly formed family which will last after Jesus’ departure, the beloved disciple has this specific role to play.
John is the eye witness of all these events, he rests upon Jesu’ breast at the Lasts Supper when he announces who is going to betray him. He is there at Anne’s home when Jesus is interrogated, he is present now at the crucifixion then he will be one of the very first to be at the empty tomb of Jesus and believe that Jesus is Risen.
Mary at the Cross saw what we ourselves know when we are in a total incapacity to change any bit the situation of a loved one who suffers. Like her, we can just be there, still.
But what Mary lived here is an unhoped for word which is addressed to her from the one who for her is a suffering : ’Woman, behold your Son.’
"Then Jesus said to his disciple : ’Behold your mother.’
From that moment the disciple took Mary to his home."
This mystery of Mary was announced by Elijah and the hermits on Mount Carmel. Mary is prefigured by a small cloud in the sky. She goes up to the summit of Mount Carmel at that difficult time for there is a drought and there is no more water in the desert. You can only see the sea spread out before you far off.
The symbolism of the sea is one of darkness and of all the forces of evil drowsing in it. From now on, human life is going to flower once more with Mary and the priest John.
Jesu will say to Peter : ’You, follow me.’
The desert is going to grow green again, this is the mystery of a humanity which knows the signs of a humanity that knows how to read the sign s of God.It is the mystery of the Church which recognises its places of foundation.
Mary a woman, Mary a mother- just like any other woman, just like any other mother, despite the pretentions of death, is not only resigned to no longer being loved but even more so to no longer be able to love.
’Behold your mother’,
’Behold your son’,
are words of Life for Mary, words which come to encounter in her the feelings that are submerged by suffering but words which give Mary to hear that she will live again from the love that is received and given.
What is received at the cross is a salvation to be lived out. For Mary, this can be heard through words which invite her to open up to her tomorrows where the children of love shared out will not miss out on new germinating and blossoming, fruits of this New Love.
The Heart of Jesus and of Mary are the place where the greatest Love is lived out, the greatest Love of God towards humanity.
Henceforth the sources of Living Water are going to burst forth.
John, The disciple whom Jesus loved, looks up to Heaven!
This is the mystery of the one who believes come what may, of the one whom Heaven hears. Jesus brings about his work of deliverance.
We ask for the grace to receive Mary so that our hope may be vivified.
Our Lady of Mount Carmel 16th July July Feast Days
“Jesus said to his disciple ’This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.’”Near the Cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalen.“Even though Mary says not a word we can hear with force the suffering of this mother attending the surplice of her son’s agony! How can we not be at the echo of the suffering of her child. Mary is helpless , unable to change the circumstances, overturned in the deepest part of her being to the extent that she is unable to express the slightest word, even for the one who is her only thought. On this feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Gospel delivers to us the Covenant with Mary in the prolongation of Jesus’ Incarnation : ’ Next to the Cross stood Mary, his Mother.’ Certainly, we never stop living from the mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection, but as pilgrims we are a humanity in disarray not knowing where to go. Still today we live the Gospel, this Good News, but the people is disorientated by the high Priests who cry out to Jesus’ Crucify him!’ and very often we can also cry out with them to our God : ’My God why have you abandoned me?’ Jesus takes upon himself the darkness at the heart of man who has rejected God. He bears in his heart a people regenerated by His Passion. Because He is gentle and humble of heart, Jesus saves humanity from sin.”This is my Body given up for you, this is my Blood poured out for the multitude for the remission of sins.“”Seeing his mother and the disciple whom he loved, standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, Woman, this is your son."
At the cross, Mary lives the same thing we can know when we find ourselves in complete incapacity to change anything of a situation where someone we love is suffering. We can just be silently there, still. Is there any other possible place for a parent when there is nothing more to be done, nothing to hope for? But what Mary lived is an unspoken word addressed to her from the one he is suffering for.
Jesus speaks to his Mother indicating to her the disciple whom he loved; ’Woman here is your son.’ And to the disciple about his mother : ’Here is your mother.’ In these words of Jesus who is dying, there is much more than the expression of material concerns about his mother’s future. Mary is standing at the foot of the Cross, interceding before God, begging God for his people : ’They don’t know what they are doing.’ The New and Eternal Covenant of God’s Infinite Love takes on the form of a body! This mystery of Mary was announced by Elijah and the hermits on Mount Carmel. Mary is prefigured by a little cloud on the horizon. Elijah goes up on top of Mount Camel at this difficult time for there is a drought in the desert and there is no water at all. Just the stretch of sea far off. The symbolism of the sea is one of darkness and all the forces of evil lurking in it. From now on, the life of humanity will flourish once more with Mary and the priest John, there is a new hope that the desert will become green again with Peter’s ministry. It is the mystery of humanity that knows how to read the signs of God. It is the mystery of the Church who recognizes its places of foundation: ’You, follow me.“”Then to the disciple he said, ’This is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home."
There is here a strong word that breaks the unacceptable. The woman Mary, the mother Mary, like every woman, like everywoman despite the pretentions of death, does not resign herself to no longer be loved but even more so to not be able to love. ’Here is your mother.’ ’ Here is your son.’ Words of life for Mary, words that come to the encounter of something felt and submerged by her suffering, but words that give to understand that Mary will still live from a love that is received and given. Is this not what it means to live : to love and to be loved? In spite of the transformation of life over which we have very little control to have the possibility of going towards the future, not without surprises, so as to fully live and have new covenants. What happens at the Cross is a Salvation of Life which for Mary is already heard through words inviting her to open up to the tomorrows where the offshoots of shared love will not fail to germ and flower. ’Woman, here is your son.’ It is within the New relationship that exists between Jesus and Mary that we are going to remain in Love for the Gory of God our
Father.This is where the Holy Spirit is given to us.Mary will be faithfully there when, at the request of John, the Apostles will pray for the Holy Spirit to be given. From now on we must remain in this Love and never leave it. The Heart of Jesus and the Heart of Mary are the place where the greatest Love of God for humanity comes about. From now on the sources of living water will gush forth. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, looks up to Heaven! it is the mystery of the one who believes, whatever happens, of the one whom heaven hears and so Jesus operates once more his work of deliverance.