Mary

From We Were There

By Sarah A. O'Malley and Robert D. Elmer

MARY:They called my son a criminal. How could that be? He healed the sick, fed the poor, preached a message of love; yet they called him dangerous and they nailed him to a cross.

As I watched the soldiers raise him up on a cross, I wondered if they could understand a mother's heart. Can an executioner understand the miracle of a mother carrying a child in her womb for nine months?

When Jesus was only an infant in my arms, Herod's soldiers tried to kill him, forcing Joseph and me to flee to Egypt. So many memories as I look back. Joseph teaching Jesus the carpenter trade; our panic when our son, a mere twelve year-old, was lost in Jerusalem; Joseph's peaceful death as he lay in my arms with Jesus at his side. I recall well the day Jesus put away the carpenter's tools to begin his Father's business. Those words, "his Father's business," have echoed in my heart since the time we found Jesus in the temple amid the teachers. Little did I know that his Father's business would lead him to Golgotha. I wonder if even he knew where he was headed.

When I saw my son dying, fading like a flickering candle, all that kept me going was faith; a faith in a loving, compassionate God. Before Jesus died, he made sure that I was taken care of. He gave the disciple John the charge of taking me into his home. In a way, John was already like a second son to me. The thought of losing my only son was overwhelming. But as I stood there with my sister and Mary Magdalene and the beloved disciple, I felt hopeful even amidst the biting pain.