Priest: Stand with Blessed Virgin Mary at foot of Christ’s cross

Father Jonathan Meyer carries the Blessed Sacrament in the monstrance in a procession during Benediction on Feb. 20 at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Indianapolis as part of a Lenten “40 Hours Devotion.” He is the associate pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis and director of youth ministry for the archdiocese. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)

By Mary Ann Wyand

Mary stood by the cross as Jesus was crucified at Golgotha, which means “the Place of the Skull,” near Jerusalem.

With the Blessed Virgin were her sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas, as well as Mary of Magdala and the beloved disciple, John.

That heartbreaking image is part of our collective memory of the Passion narrative recorded in the Gospel accounts of the Crucifixion, Father Jonathan Meyer explained in his “40 Hours Devotion” sermon on Feb. 20 at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Church in Indianapolis.

But can you imagine, he asked, can you truly understand, how hard it must have been for her to stand there as her son died on the cross?

Most parents would collapse on the ground in grief as they watched their child die, Father Meyer said, or at least reach out for support of some kind.

Scripture tells us that the Mother of God stood there resolutely, he said, an incredibly strong woman of faith who is a model of devotion for all Christians.

Father Meyer serves as associate pastor of St. Luke the Evangelist Parish in Indianapolis and director of youth ministry for the archdiocese. He preached on the Crucifixion and the Blessed Mother’s devotion on four nights during Holy Rosary Parish’s annual Lenten observance of eucharistic adoration on Feb. 17-20.

“Both in the temple at the age of 12 and on the cross at the age of 33, our Lord shows us that God’s will must reign over all human wills,” Father Meyer said, “over all human connections, over all human relationships, even the relationship with his Blessed Mother.”

Mary understood that, he said, even as grief pierced her heart.

“Our Lord is willing to bring anxiety to the heart of his Blessed Mother to do the will of his heavenly Father,” Father Meyer said, “to remain in the temple for three days at the age of 12 and at the age of 33 to die on the cross, knowing the hurt that it would bring to our Blessed Mother’s heart, but also knowing the joy that it would ultimately bring.”

Yet Mary stood in vigil at the foot of the cross, he said, knowing what would happen because Simeon had told her at the Presentation in the Temple that “the sword of sorrow would pierce her heart” (Lk 2:35).

Because of her Immaculate Conception, Father Meyer said, Mary was “a woman of faith, a woman of prayer, and a woman whose heart was completely and totally united to God.”

Even from the moment of her miraculous conception of Jesus, he said, Mary endured great sorrow because she was scorned during her pregnancy then the Holy Family had to flee to Egypt to save the life of the newborn Christ Child while King Herod’s soldiers searched for him and killed countless infant boys in the Massacre of the Holy Innocents.

Throughout Christ’s life, Father Meyer said, Scripture tells us that “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Lk 2:19).

In Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, he said, “ ‘This union of the mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ’s virginal conception up to his death. … Thus, the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross, where she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering …” (#57, #58).

The cross was the greatest pulpit that Christ would ever preach from and which brought us our salvation, Father Meyer said, and the beloved disciple who stood with Mary at the foot of the cross of Christ represents all the faithful.

“Blessed Mother Teresa [of Calcutta] said, ‘No Mary, no Jesus. Know Mary, know Jesus,’ ” he explained. “Mary is essential to our spiritual life. … We need the Blessed Virgin Mary. We cannot know Christ without her. The Blessed Virgin Mary’s role [in salvation history] allows us to grow in holiness and in grace.”

When we surrender ourselves to our Blessed Mother and allow her to help us, Father Meyer said, she will perfect what we offer to the Divine Teacher and make it worthy.

“But we must go to the Blessed Virgin Mary,” he emphasized, “she who stood at the foot of the cross, she who endured, she who witnessed, she who kept the faith of the Church alive for those three days in her heart. She is our hope. She is our life. She is our sweetness. … We are to be people of the rosary. We are to be people of novenas. We are to be people of statues and prayers. Mary stood at the foot of the cross, and she will allow us to stand there as well. … And she may win for us the graces necessary for eternal salvation.” †