Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of
Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the
disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is
your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this
disciple took her into his home. (John 19: 25-27)
There are so many ways to think of this incredible and gentle passage from the Gospel of John. My mind went back to many years ago when our son-in-law Mark faced his own death. Trained as a marine, one of his most remarkable comments came as he lay in his chair two days before he died. "I am glad that I am the one going through this and not anyone else in the family. I have been trained and I am ready." With that statement he gave every one of us permission to let him go, although we were all devastated and anything but ready.
For Jesus to have the care, the presence of mind and the strength to take care of his mother as he was being tortured, mocked and near death, are hard to process. Facing the terror of his own present moment, his thoughts were beyond himself. Mary, facing her beloved Son's cruel death and a not-so-good future for herself as woman without power or money staying near her Son, John standing near and with Jesus in His struggle, they all faced the danger of the moment.
Our Mark had all the comforts of family, hospice, medication that could be afforded to him, and still he endured pain and death. Jesus had no earthly comforts. All that was done to him was designed to increase his pain, isolation and shame. Yet he took time to give his mother into his good friend's care. In doing that, I believe, he gave his followers into each other's care. That is all of us. We, too, are given into each other's care.
Life has a way of making sure each of us comes to that place of reckoning where we are not sure if we can take the next step. How precious are those who walk with us, and what a privilege it is, because of Jesus, to walk with our friends during difficult times - and extremely difficult times.
What we know is what the disciples did not yet know at that day of the Crucifixion - that Jesus rose again. The Holy Spirit has been sent to us so that we might know strength, comfort and wisdom. God, our God, has all power and loves us infinitely.
The Rev. Fran Peel
There are so many ways to think of this incredible and gentle passage from the Gospel of John. My mind went back to many years ago when our son-in-law Mark faced his own death. Trained as a marine, one of his most remarkable comments came as he lay in his chair two days before he died. "I am glad that I am the one going through this and not anyone else in the family. I have been trained and I am ready." With that statement he gave every one of us permission to let him go, although we were all devastated and anything but ready.
For Jesus to have the care, the presence of mind and the strength to take care of his mother as he was being tortured, mocked and near death, are hard to process. Facing the terror of his own present moment, his thoughts were beyond himself. Mary, facing her beloved Son's cruel death and a not-so-good future for herself as woman without power or money staying near her Son, John standing near and with Jesus in His struggle, they all faced the danger of the moment.
Our Mark had all the comforts of family, hospice, medication that could be afforded to him, and still he endured pain and death. Jesus had no earthly comforts. All that was done to him was designed to increase his pain, isolation and shame. Yet he took time to give his mother into his good friend's care. In doing that, I believe, he gave his followers into each other's care. That is all of us. We, too, are given into each other's care.
Life has a way of making sure each of us comes to that place of reckoning where we are not sure if we can take the next step. How precious are those who walk with us, and what a privilege it is, because of Jesus, to walk with our friends during difficult times - and extremely difficult times.
What we know is what the disciples did not yet know at that day of the Crucifixion - that Jesus rose again. The Holy Spirit has been sent to us so that we might know strength, comfort and wisdom. God, our God, has all power and loves us infinitely.
The Rev. Fran Peel
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