19th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY NINETEEN – THE AGONY IN THE GARDEN

“My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:38-39

He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground. Luke 22:44

The agony that Jesus underwent while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane was only surpassed by the brutal treatment and Crucifixion He endured the following day. That Thursday night, after sharing the gift of His Body and Blood with the Apostles, He went out to pray. As He prayed, He fell prostrate before the Father in Heaven and accepted the “cup” that He was given to drink. Three times He prayed this profound prayer: “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.”

That night would have been a sleepless one for our Blessed Mother. She was awoken in the middle of the night by the frightening news that Jesus had been arrested. She went in haste to the place of Jesus’ interrogation before Caiaphas and the entire Sanhedrin, watching from a distance with the other holy women.

Jesus had agonized in the Garden and three times chosen the will of the Father. Saint Peter, during the commotion of the night, three times denied Jesus. Our Blessed Mother, during her silent presence throughout that night, united her mind and heart to the agony of her Son and to His free embrace of His Cross.

This was His Hour. This was The Hour in which Jesus was to give the greatest glory to the Father in Heaven. And it was also our Blessed Mother’s hour. She was invited to freely offer her Son to the hands of evil men. Saint Peter and the other Apostles lacked fidelity and commitment as this hour approached. But our Blessed Mother, her Son’s first and greatest disciple, joined Jesus in a complete surrender to the will of the Father.

On Good Friday, as Mother Mary stood before the Cross of her Son, she would have continued to pray in the way Jesus prayed in the Garden the night before. “Father…not as I will, but as you will.” This must also become the most central prayer in our own lives each and every day.

Reflect, today, upon the chaos and confusion that began that night with Jesus’ arrest. Reflect, also, upon moments of chaos and confusion in your own life. When you feel the burden of the various crosses in your life, there is but one way to properly embrace them. You must unite yourself with the prayer of Jesus in the Garden which was also the perfect prayer of our Blessed Mother. Join them in this prayer of perfect surrender.

Dearest Mother Mary, you watched in sorrow as your Son was arrested and treated with much cruelty. Yet your only prayer was the prayer your Son prayed in the Garden. “Father, not as I will, but as You will.” Jesus’ agony was your agony and His surrender was your surrender.

Pray for me, dear Mother, that I may join you and your Son in prayer as I agonize in this life. As I face the cruelty of the world, pray for me that I may also daily choose the will of the Father in all things, never giving in to despair and never wavering in my surrender.

My suffering Lord, I choose to stay awake with You and to remain faithful to You always. Give me the grace I need to live in complete surrender to the will of the Father and to Your most holy will.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

18th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY EIGHTEEN – “THIS IS MY BODY…THIS IS MY BLOOD”

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:26-28

The first celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist took place at the Last Supper when Jesus instituted both the Priesthood and the Holy Eucharist in the presence of His Apostles. The offering of this ritual Sacrifice culminated in His physical sacrifice upon the Cross, when He drank the bitter wine and exclaimed, “It is finished!” Our Blessed Mother witnessed this eternal outpouring as she stood at the foot of the Cross. As she did so, she adored every drop of His Precious Blood falling to the ground to sanctify the world.

After the Resurrection, our Blessed Mother was privileged to share in her Son’s life in a new and profound way, every time she shared in the feast of the Holy Eucharist. She drank her Son’s own Precious Blood and ate His Sacred Body as she joined the Apostles for the Holy Mass.

The image of the suffering and death of her Son was forever burned into her mind and stamped upon her heart. But the union she shared with Him through her reception of Holy Communion brought perfect clarity to His suffering and death. With every reception of His Body and Blood, she also received His Soul and Divinity. In this gift of the Eucharist, she experienced His closeness like never before and knew that His death on the Cross was the source of her new and profound union with Him. No longer was He someone whom she gazed at from a distance with love. No longer was He someone whom she carried only in her womb. He was now someone whom she consumed and thus entered into her own heart and soul in the deepest way.

As she gazed at Him and saw Him breathe His last, all earthly hope of being with Him was lost. But in that moment, as He cried out, “It is finished!”, her relationship with her Son was forever changed. His life had been given back to God the Father, yet she was among the first to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist.

Reflect, today, upon the deep relationship that our Blessed Mother had with her Son. Her communion with Jesus reached a new and more profound level of love as she was privileged to receive Him into her body and soul in the Holy Eucharist. We too are all called to this same depth of communion with Jesus. We too are all invited to become one with Him as we partake of the gift of the Holy Mass. Reflect upon how deeply you believe in the presence of our Lord in this Sacrament. Reflect upon how completely you open yourself to the graces of this Gift. Recommit yourself to being consumed by our Lord as you consume His Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity. Know that the union you are called to live with Him is on account of His glorious gift of the Cross.

My loving Mother, as you gazed upon your Son you saw Him breathe His last. You watched Him die and offer His life for the salvation of the world. But you also saw so much more. As you saw His sacrifice come to completion, you also saw it transformed into a new beginning. You witnessed the beginning of the Most Holy Eucharist of which you were privileged to partake for the rest of your life.

My dear Mother, pray that I may have the grace of a faithful participation in the reception of the Body and Blood of your Son. May I, like you, receive Him with the utmost faith and allow His saving Sacrifice to consume every part of my soul.

My dear Lord, You gave us the Eucharist as the gift of Your continual presence among us. In this precious gift, You invite me to enter into communion with You on a profound level. As I gaze at Your Cross and see Your Blood poured out, help me to open my soul like a sponge soaking up Your divine presence. Unite Yourself with me, dear Lord, as I give myself to You.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

17th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY SEVENTEEN – ENTERING INTO JERUSALEM

The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road. The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.” Matthew 21:8-9

How wonderful that greeting was, just one week before, when Jesus entered into Jerusalem. He was greeted with much joy and exaltation. “Hosanna!” they cried out as they laid palm branches before Him. They treated Him as a king.

But now our Blessed Mother watched as her Son, the King of all Kings, mounted His glorious throne to distribute His grace and mercy upon the world. This was no earthly kingship. It was much greater. It was a Kingship of such spiritual power and authority that it superseded mere earthly strength. It was a Kingship dispensing salvation from the throne of the Cross.

The contrast between Palm Sunday and Good Friday was startling. Many were left in confusion. They were disillusioned as they saw Jesus’ life deteriorate from a glorious welcome into Jerusalem to carrying a cross out of the same city just days later. But our Blessed Mother and our Lord Himself saw things much differently. Their pain was mixed with the utmost joy and peace at the mounting of His throne. They both knew that Jesus would be exalted for all eternity and that the echoes of “Hosanna!” would reverberate forever in Heaven.

Jesus’ earthly death united Heaven and Earth. His Cross became the permanent bridge connecting, across all space and time, God the Father with all His children on Earth. Though Jesus’ death was painful, the sorrowful heart of our Blessed Mother would have brought Him much comfort as she continually cried out in silent adoration of her Son. As she gazed at Him, her Immaculate Heart continually proclaimed, “My Son, You are the King of All, Hosanna to You, dear Son! Hosanna to You, my Lord, my Son and my King! Hosanna in the highest!”

Reflect, today, upon this glorious song of praise. “Hosanna in the highest!” Speak this song as you gaze, with our Blessed Mother, upon the crucifix. See the crucifix as the Throne of Grace. See Jesus as the King of all Kings. Look with faith and love and peer under the veil of the blood and bruises. See the King and give Him eternal glory.

My dearest Mother, your gaze of love upon your Son looked beyond the earthly sufferings He endured and saw the glory of that sacred moment. You saw His sacrifice for what it was. It was the greatest act of mercy ever known. 

16th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY SIXTEEN – THE GREATEST OF MIRACLES

[Jesus] said, “Do not weep any longer, for she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed him, because they knew that she was dead. But he took her by the hand and called to her, “Child, arise!” Her breath returned and she immediately arose. He then directed that she should be given something to eat. Luke 8:52b-55

This was but one of the many miracles that Jesus performed. Our Blessed Mother witnessed Jesus’ miracles throughout His public ministry. His first miracle, at the Wedding of Cana, was done at her request. After that, Jesus performed many more. The dead were raised, the multitudes were fed, demons were cast out, the blind and deaf were cured and so much more.

As our Blessed Mother stood at the foot of the Cross, she would have hoped for one more miracle. As she gazed at her Son, she heard the mockery of the scribes and elders as they said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him” (Matthew 27:42). And though there were some who were hoping that Jesus would come down from the Cross and save Himself in an earthly way, the miracle that our Blessed Mother hoped for was far greater.

What miracle did she hope for as she gazed at the Crucifixion of her Son? She hoped that the saving grace of His perfect sacrifice would be poured forth on all people so as to wipe away their sins. She hoped that the very scribes, Pharisees and elders who mocked her Son would convert and be saved on account of His death. She hoped that the soldiers who nailed Him to the wood would come to see the power of His Cross and turn their lives over to her Son. The greatest miracle that our Blessed Mother hoped for at the foot of the Cross was the salvation of the world.

Like Mary, we too must seek the greatest good in our lives and in the lives of others. Though at times we can be selfish in our desires and hopes, we must push beyond this selfishness and seek the miracle that was the culmination of Jesus’ life. We must seek our own eternal salvation and the salvation of all.

Reflect, today, upon the miraculous power of our divine Lord. He can raise the dead, heal the sick, feed the multitude and restore sight to the blind. But there is one thing that He cannot do. He cannot impose the grace of His saving sacrifice upon those who obstinately resist it. Commit yourself to total openness to this grace so that Jesus’ greatest miracle may be accomplished more fully in your life and so that the hope in the heart of our Blessed Mother may be fulfilled.

My dear Mother, you witnessed so many miraculous events in the life and ministry of your Son. You saw Him raise the dead, heal the sick and cast out demons. As you stood before the Cross on which hung your only Son, you may have been tempted to despair. But in your perfect faith, you dismissed such temptations and hoped in the last and greatest miracle offered by your Son. You had perfect hope in the miracle of the salvation of the world.

My dear Mother, pray for me that I may be a recipient of this last and greatest miracle. Help me to open wide the door of my heart so that I may receive all that your Son offers me from the Cross. 

My precious Lord, I thank You for this last and greatest act of Your life. I thank You for the grace poured forth from Your Cross for my salvation and that of the whole world. I open my life to You, dear Lord, and beg that I may receive all that You wish to bestow upon me. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

15th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY FIFTEEN – HEARING AND OBSERVING THE WORD OF GOD

While he was speaking, a woman from the crowd called out and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” He replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11:27-28

During Jesus’ public ministry, a woman in the crowd called out to Jesus, honoring His mother. Jesus corrected her in a way. But His correction was not one that diminished the blessedness of His mother. Rather, Jesus’ words elevated the blessedness of His mother to a new level.

Who more than our Blessed Mother would daily “hear the word of God and observe it” with perfection? No one was more deserving of this elevation to blessedness than our Blessed Mother.

This truth was especially lived as she stood at the foot of the Cross, offering her Son to the Father with full knowledge of His saving sacrifice and with complete consent of her will. She, more than any other follower of her Son, understood the prophecies of old and embraced them with complete submission.

How about you? As you gaze at the Cross of Jesus, are you able to see your own life united to His on the Cross? Are you able to embrace the burdens of sacrifice and self-giving which God is calling you to live? Are you able to observe every command of love from God, no matter how much He asks of you? Are you able to “hear the word of God and observe it?”

Reflect, today, upon the true blessedness of the Mother of God. She fully embraced the word of God and observed it to perfection. As a result, she was blessed beyond measure. God also wishes to bless you in abundance. The only requirement of these blessings is openness to the word of God and its full embrace. Understanding and embracing the mystery of the Cross in your life is truly the richest source of the blessings of Heaven. Understand and embrace the Cross and you will be blessed with our Blessed Mother.

Dearest Mother, you allowed the mysteries of the suffering and death of your Son to penetrate your mind and elicit great faith. As you understood, you also assented. I thank you for your perfect witness and pray that I may follow your example.

My Mother, draw me into the blessings that were bestowed upon you by your Son. Help me to find great value in freely embracing the Cross. May I always see the Cross as the source of the greatest joys in life.

My suffering Lord, I gaze upon You with Your own mother and pray that I may see You as she sees You. I pray that I may understand the depth of love that motivated Your complete self-gift. Pour forth Your abundant blessings upon me as I seek to more fully enter into this mystery of Your life and sufferings. I do believe, dear Lord. Please help my moments of unbelief.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

14th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY FOURTEEN – “DO WHATEVER HE TELLS YOU”

When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” [And] Jesus said to her, “Woman, how does your concern affect me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servers, “Do whatever he tells you.” John 2:3-5

These words were spoken by our Blessed Mother at the first of Jesus’ miracles: “Do whatever he tells you.” They are profound and powerful words which can easily serve as the foundation of our spiritual lives.

If our Blessed Mother would have spoken anything to her Son at the foot of the Cross, what would she have said? Would she have spoken words of despair or confusion, pain or anger? No, she would have spoken the same words she spoke at the Wedding of Cana. But this time, rather than speaking these words to the servants, she would have spoken them to her Son. “My dear Son, whom I love with my whole heart, do whatever the Father in Heaven tells You.”

Of course Jesus did not need this advice, but He desired to receive it from His mother anyway. He desired to hear His mother speak to Him these words of perfect love. In pondering these words once spoken at Cana, our Blessed Mother and her divine Son would have shared a deep union as they gazed at each other during His agony on the Cross. Mother and Son both knew that His death was the accomplishment of the greatest good ever known. They would have both known that the will of the Father in Heaven was perfect. They would have both longed for and embraced this holy will without reserve. And these words would have been on both of their hearts as they gazed at each other in silence:

“My dear mother, do whatever our Father tells you.”

“My dear Son, do whatever Your Father in Heaven wills of You.”

Reflect, today, upon these words and know that mother and Son speak them to you. No matter what you face in life, our Blessed Mother and her divine Son are inviting you into this glorious command of love and obedience. They are exhorting you to stay faithful through all struggles, in good times, in difficult ones, through pain and joy. No matter what you experience in life, these words must always resound within your mind and heart. “Do whatever He tells you.” Do not hesitate to hear and embrace these holy words.

Dearest Mother, you offer words of perfect wisdom. You invite all of your dear children to embrace the perfect will of the Father in Heaven. These words are not spoken to me alone. They were first spoken to you in the depths of your heart. You, in turn, expressed this command of love to all whom you encountered. You silently spoke them, also, to your own divine Son.

My loving Mother, help me to listen to you speak these words to me. Help me, by the power of your prayers, to respond to this calling to embrace the perfect will of God in my life.

My Precious Jesus, I choose to do all that You command of me. I choose Your will without reserve and I know that You invite me to follow in Your footsteps. May I never be deterred by the hardships of the Cross, but be transformed by the power of Your perfect will.

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.

13th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY THIRTEEN – A MOTHER'S PONDERINGS

When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. Luke 2:48-51

As our Blessed Mother stood at the foot of the Cross, she may have recalled that time when Jesus, at age twelve, stayed behind in Jerusalem for three days. Our Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph returned to Jerusalem and searched diligently for Jesus. Finally, they found Him in the temple with the teachers and religious leaders.

At that time, while the Child Jesus was among the teachers of Israel, they were greatly impressed by Him. He asked them deep and probing questions and manifested a wisdom beyond His years. Scripture says that “all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers” (Luke 2:47). Painfully, just two decades later, Our Blessed Mother watched these same religious leaders question her Son over and over again. During those three years of His public ministry, Our Blessed Mother saw that the religious leaders turned on her Son, seeking to trap Him, accuse Him and discredit His profound wisdom. What a difference the years had made. What they thought was interesting coming from a twelve year old, they interpreted as threatening coming from a thirty year old. The religious leaders now were jealous and envious. And it was primarily on account of their new malice that she was standing before her crucified Son, gazing at Him as He offered the sacrifice of His human life.

In our own lives, we may find that people turn on us as we grow closer to our Lord and our Blessed Mother. We should expect nothing less than the same treatment that Jesus received. People who were once our friends will, at times, become our greatest persecutors.

Reflect, today, upon any experience you have had with those who have turned on you or betrayed you on account of your faith in Jesus. Though not everyone experiences this to the same degree as our Lord, when it is experienced it can be a source of confusion, hurt, anger and even despair. As our Blessed Mother watched the cruelty toward her Son unfold, she would have forgiven those religious leaders who treated Him this way. She would have shown mercy to them and prayed for them in the midst of her own suffering. We are called to do the same in imitation of our Lord and our Blessed Mother.

My dear Blessed Mother, when Jesus was only a Child, you were amazed at the reaction of the religious leaders in the temple as they listened to Him and were astonished by His wisdom. You also saw those same leaders turn on your Son during His public ministry. You watched their affection for Him turn into loathing and their amazement turn into jealousy.

My dear Mother, when I seek to act as an instrument of your Son and to speak His words of wisdom, not everyone accepts these words. Pray for me that I may always forgive and accept misunderstanding and ridicule with the same faith and hope that you had as you stood before the Cross.

Precious Lord Jesus, You never ceased proclaiming Your perfect wisdom and love to the world. Though many accepted Your words, many did not. Help me to know that I am called to follow in Your footsteps. Help me to never be scandalized or shaken by the persecution of myself or another. Keep me faithful to You and faithful to the proclamation of Your holy Word. 

Mother Mary, pray for me. Jesus, I trust in You.