“Seeing her own Lamb being led to the slaughter, Mary was worn out, and she followed Him with the other women, and cried, "Where are You going, Child? Why are You going so fast? Maybe there is another wedding in Cana, and You are hurrying now to make wine out of water for them? Shall I come with You, Child, and stay with You? Give me a word, O Word, who preserved my purity. Please do not pass by me in silence. You are my Son and my God."

- Hymn from Orthros of Holy Friday (Holy Thursday Evening)

Reflection: 

We see the love of a mother wishing to co-suffer with her son, to be there with him. As one can imagine, she would want to take His place. And yet she knows He must do this for the salvation of all humanity and all creation.

The witness of the Theotokos here at the Cross was the sword piercing her soul(1), and yet she endured this unthinkable situation with confidence in God - through her close relationship to Christ.   

The Theotokos standing at the foot of the Cross with John the Apostle, the anguish she felt, and all that she went through, adds to why she is such a great intercessor for us.  First it is her relationship to Christ, as His mother, we see their exchange in Cana, and her intercessory role there…. and the second time we see direct interaction, is here at the Cross.  

The Ever-Virgin Mary suffered greatly, experiencing the unthinkable… and did with confidence in God - through her close relationship to Christ. 

We too, see these events in Christ’s life through the joyful lens of the resurrection - through our relationship with Christ. 

So as we witnessed last night and today, the Crucifixion, death, and burial of our Lord, it sobers us as we realize what God endured and suffered for our sake. We are at the same time beginning to feel the spark of joy within us…since tonight the hymnology begins to turn Resurrectional. 

So our mourning for Christ’s death is tempered with certainty, our sorrow with joy, and our sadness with hope. 

  May we be strengthened by the intercessions of the Theotokos, so that we may follow her example, and face extremely difficult situations with hope and peace, and imitate Christ’s sacrificial Divine love toward others.  Amen. 

Resources:

1) Luke Chapter 2