And when he was dying on the cross she was standing right there. She was the one who convinced him to perform his first miracle at the Cana wedding. Once when Mary tried to see Jesus he ignored her and said, “Who is my mother?” Mary knew people gossiped about her son and said he was mentally unstable. Once Jesus was an adult she must have worried because he wasn’t married or steadily employed and spent his time with rebel fighters, lepers, adulterers, dishonest government officials and people who were demon possessed. Jesus was twelve when she experienced the heart stopping fear of losing him in a crowded city. When her child was a toddler she became a refugee because powerful people wanted to kill her son. I admired the way she continued to raise her son with hope even after Simeon told her on her first temple visit with Jesus that the experience of mothering him would be “like a sword that will pierce your soul.” Rita’s lyrics made me consider what an important role Mary had played in her son’s life and I studied the brief glimpses we have of her in the gospels. Some lines from the song struck such a chord with me. As a teenager it could have been because her name was a part of my name, but later when I was well into my own role as a mother, Canadian songstress Rita MacNeil got me thinking about Mary again when she released her Christmas ballad Mother Mary. I too have had a long fascination with Mary. Our Lady of Good Counsel by Pasquale Sarullo
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |