35th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY THIRTY-FIVE – IT IS FINISHED"

When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit. John 19:30

These words are of great relief to Jesus, His dear mother, and hopefully to all of us. “It is finished.” Jesus’ suffering had come to an end. His “thirst” was quenched by sour wine, a symbol of fallen humanity entering His very body. He had entered into all suffering, both interiorly and exteriorly, and now He was ready to enter into death itself. He spoke His final words and handed over His spirit to the Father.

As our Blessed Mother looked on, heard her Son speak His final words, and breathe His last, she would have felt a sense of relief. Jesus’ long mission of salvation had been accomplished. Death was destroyed and now she only had to wait for His Resurrection.

Our Blessed Mother knew this was not the end. She knew that her Son would rise. He had taught many times “that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days” (Mark 8:31). Though the Apostles and other disciples did not understand this teaching, our Blessed Mother did. She witnessed His rejection, His death, and now turned her eyes toward His promised Resurrection.

This passage also states that Jesus “handed over His spirit.” His life was not taken from Him. His death was a free choice by which He gave Himself over to death. He chose to enter into the ultimate effect of sin, death itself, so as to redeem death and make it the door to eternal life. The destruction of death was accomplished by God, the source of life, subsuming it into Himself. God wanted to come close to us by becoming man. He came so close to us that He allowed man to do Him violence. But the last chapter of Christ’s life was yet to be written. His entrance into new life was about to begin.

These words of Jesus must take on great significance in our own lives. We must see ourselves standing by the Cross with our Blessed Mother and hear Jesus speak these words to us, personally. We must allow our Lord to look into our souls and say to us, “It is finished.” Jesus speaks these words to each one of us. He says, “Your salvation is accomplished. My death has destroyed your own eternal death. My final word of victory has been spoken.” As we ponder this sacred scene and hear these final words, we must seek to allow them to transform our very lives.

Reflect, today, upon whether you are attentive to these words of our Lord in your own life. Do you allow Him to apply His saving Sacrifice to your sins? Have you internalized this statement of promise from our Lord? Have you allowed the finality of His death to unite with your own sin? Reflect upon these three little words, this day, and allow the handing over of our Lord’s Spirit to take hold of you and transform your life.

My dearest Mother, as you gazed intently at your Son, you heard Him announce that He had accomplished His mission. It was finished. He was faithful to the end. And though your heart was filled with sorrow as He died before your eyes, your spirit once again rejoiced as you witnessed the gift of salvation being accomplished for all humanity.

My loving Mother, pray for me that I may listen attentively to your Son as He speaks these sacred words. May I hear Him say to me, “It is finished! I have destroyed the effect of your sin. Death is no more.”

My saving Lord, from the Cross You announced the fulfillment of Your divine mission. You proclaimed that You had destroyed death itself by the free offering of Your life. Help me to listen to You speak these words to my heart and to be open to the unfathomable gift of new life accomplished by Your willing Sacrifice.

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

34th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

Day Thirty-Four – “I Thirst”

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. John 19:28-29

As our Blessed Mother heard her Son speak these words, “I thirst,” she would have immediately desired to satiate His thirst. She was attentive to His bodily thirst, but she was even more attentive to His spiritual thirst.

As the soldier took a sponge, soaked it in wine and placed it to His mouth, she would have received some consolation from this act of kindness. But she would have also seen great meaning in this act. The soldier was a symbol of fallen humanity and the sour wine was a symbol of our disordered state. But it was precisely our disordered state that Jesus longed to redeem. He did not desire “fresh wine” or “pure spring water.” He desired fallen humanity. He thirsted for us to come to Him in our weakness and sin. Our Blessed Mother would have perceived this powerful symbolism.

Jesus still cries out today, “I thirst!” He thirsts for you. Too often we feel that we can only come to Him, to satiate His thirst, if we come in an angelic way. Too often we believe that Jesus only smiles at us when we come without sin. But this is not true. The reason that He died such a cruel death was so that we could come to Him in our own brokenness. We come to the suffering and thirsty Christ with our sin and disorder. We are not fresh wine, we are sour wine. But when we allow ourselves to come to our Lord in this state, His thirst is quenched.

What is the condition of your soul? Are you embarrassed by your sin? Do you adopt a false persona presuming that Jesus will only accept you if you are perfect? Nothing is further from the truth. Do not hesitate to come to our Lord with all your weaknesses, struggles and sins. Do not worry about what He will think or say. Come to Him. If you trust Him, your humble act of offering Him your sinful self will refresh His soul.

Reflect, today, upon those two sacred words of our dying Lord, “I thirst.” Know that His thirst is for you and that He desires you just as you are. Go to Him, surrender to Him and delight Him. Our Blessed Mother is watching and waiting for you to satiate the longing within the Heart of her divine Son.

My dearest Mother, you were attentive to the spiritual thirst in the Heart of your Son. You were also attentive to the fact that His thirst was for me and for all humanity. Pray for me that I may be like that sour wine, lifted to the lips of your divine Son.

My loving Mother, pray for me that I may see my sin and may not hesitate to go to your Son in this state. I pray that I may have the courage I need to come in my weakness so as to satiate the Heart of your Son and your own Immaculate Heart.

My thirsting Lord, I know that Your words, spoken from the Cross, were words inviting me to satiate Your spiritual longing. Help me to trust that You love me as I am. Give me the courage I need to trust in Your mercy and to turn to You this day. I love You, dear Lord. Help me to love You more.

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

33rd Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY THIRTY-THREE – “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?”

From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:45-46

These words of Jesus must have pierced the heart of our Blessed Mother deeply. She stood close to Him, gazing at Him with love, adoring His wounded body given for the world, and she heard this cry coming forth from the depths of His being.

“My God, my God…” He begins. As our Blessed Mother listened to her Son speak to His Father in Heaven, she would have found great consolation in her knowledge of His intimate relationship with the Father. She knew, better than anyone else, that Jesus and the Father were one. She had heard Him speak this way in His public ministry many times and she also knew by her motherly intuition and faith that her Son was the Son of the Father. And before her eyes Jesus was calling out to Him.

But Jesus went on asking, “…why have you abandoned me?” The sting to her heart would have been immediate as she sensed the interior suffering of her Son. She knew He was experiencing far more pain than any bodily wound could inflict. She knew He was experiencing a profound interior darkness. His words spoken from the Cross confirmed every motherly concern that she had.

As our Blessed Mother pondered these words of her Son, over and over in her heart, she would have come to understand that Jesus’ interior suffering, His experience of isolation and spiritual loss of the Father, was a gift to the world. Her perfect faith would have led her to understand that Jesus was entering intothe experience of sin itself. Though perfect and sinless in every way, He was allowing Himself to be drawn into the human experience that results from sin: separation from the Father. Though Jesus was never separated from the Father, He entered into the human experience of this separation so as to restore fallen humanity to the Father of Mercies in Heaven.

As we ponder this cry of pain coming forth from our Lord, we must all seek to experience it as our own. Our cry, unlike our Lord’s, is a result of our sins. When we sin, we turn in on ourselves and enter into isolation and despair. Jesus came to destroy these effects and to restore us to the Father in Heaven.

Reflect, today, upon the profound love our Lord had for all of us in that He was willing to experience the consequences of our sins. Our Blessed Mother, as the most perfect mother, was with her Son every step of the way, sharing His pain and interior sufferings. She felt what He felt and it was her love, more than anything else, that expressed, and stood in for, the steadfast and unwavering presence of the Father in Heaven. The Father’s love was made manifest through her heart as she gazed with love at her suffering Son.

My most loving Mother, your heart was pierced with pain as you shared in your Son’s interior suffering. His cry of abandonment was one that expressed His perfect love. His words revealed that He was entering into the effects of sin itself and allowing His human nature to experience it and redeem it.

Dear Mother, stand by me as I go through life and feel the effects of my own sin. Though your Son was perfect, I am not. My sin leaves me isolated and sorrowful. May your motherly presence in my life always remind me that the Father never leaves me and is always inviting me to turn to His merciful Heart.

My abandoned Lord, You entered into the greatest agony any human could enter. You allowed Yourself to experience the effects of my own sin. Give me the grace of turning to Your Father every time I sin so that I may merit the adoption won for me by Your Cross.

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

32nd Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY THIRTY-TWO – “WOMAN, BEHOLD YOUR SON…BEHOLD YOUR MOTHER"

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27

What a beautiful act of love offered by the Son of Mary as He prepared to breathe His last. His concern was not for Himself. He was not wrought in self-pity and despair. Rather, He was concerned about those whom He loved. First, He reached out to the thief on the cross promising him Paradise. And then He entrusted His own dear mother to His beloved disciple John. “Woman, behold, your son.” “Behold, your mother.”

For this precious moment, the Mother of God took her eyes off her Son Jesus to gaze with love upon John, her new child in grace. John, the one disciple who had remained close to Jesus throughout His suffering and death, and who remained with our Blessed Mother as she stood before the Cross, turned and gazed with love upon his new mother in grace.

This act of giving and receiving was not meant only for our Blessed Mother and for John. It was meant as a command for us all. We are all invited to be present before the foot of the Cross in the person of this beloved disciple. Jesus looks at all of us from the Cross and says, “Behold, your mother.” And He directs His own dear mother to turn to each one of us with love and affection, seeing her own precious child in each one of us.

Our Blessed Mother is the new Eve, the new Mother of All the Living in the divine order of grace. She is the Mother and Queen of the new Kingdom and the new Family of God. If we wish to be members of that new Kingdom of Grace, we must lovingly accept our new mother.

John took our Blessed Mother into his own home, loving her and being loved by her. Mother Mary’s maternal care for John enabled him to embrace the will of God until the end of his life. We, too, must take our Blessed Mother into the home of our hearts and embrace her as our own. She, in turn, will embrace us and point us to her divine Son.

Reflect, today, upon these beautiful words of Jesus. Hear them spoken to you. Hear Jesus say to you, “Behold your mother.” Behold the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God and the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Turn to her, love her and receive her motherly guidance and care. Allow her to embrace you and to welcome you into her heart.

My dearest Mother and Queen, as you stood before the Cross of your Son, the one thing that drew your eyes from your Son was the invitation from Jesus to behold your new child in grace. I am that child, dear mother, and I thank you for the gaze of love you bestow upon me.

My dear Mother, I accept you into the home of my heart to be my spiritual mother in the order of grace. I accept you as my queen and seek your maternal care and guidance. Draw me to your divine Son, dear Mother, and pray for me that I may seek Him above all else in life.

My loving Lord Jesus, as You hung upon the Cross, Your deepest desire was the salvation of souls. From Your Cross, You look down upon me, a lowly sinner, and entrust Your own mother to me. I thank You for this unfathomable gift and I accept the maternal care of the Queen of the Universe and the Mother of All.

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

31st Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

Day Thirty-One – “Today You Will be With Me in Paradise”

Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us.” The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, “Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” He replied to him, “Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” Luke 23:39-43

What a powerful exchange this was between Jesus and the two criminals who were crucified with Him on His right and on His left. Our Blessed Mother stood in silence, listening to them converse. There is no doubt that as she heard the words of her Son, her heart leaped for joy.

This is a powerful scene. The two criminals represent all of us, either on Jesus’ right or on His left. Each one of us speaks to Jesus in similar words. Each one of us will either receive the silence of our Lord or hear Him say, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Which criminal represents you more accurately? One criminal is filled with self-righteousness stemming from pride. The other is filled with sorrow stemming from humility. Both are guilty but only one is forgiven. They both acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah but only one takes ownership of his sin.

The first criminal speaks, “Save yourself and us.” What he fails to see is that Jesus is in the very process of doing just that. By suffering and dying He is destroying sin and winning salvation for all who humbly seek His mercy. His death is the gateway to Paradise. The first criminal fails to see this. Instead, he seeks immediate earthly “salvation” by challenging Jesus to save him from death on the cross.

But the other criminal identifies the glorious mission of our Lord. He acknowledges that his own death is an act of justice due to his sins. “We have been condemned justly,” he professes. But the “good thief” does not stop there. He humbly asks Jesus to remember him as he enters into His Kingdom. Jesus assents and offers this criminal the grace won by Jesus’ own imminent death and promises him Paradise.

As our Blessed Mother looked on, her heart was filled with both joy and sorrow. Her sorrow was on account of the first criminal who failed to humbly acknowledge his guilt. Her joy was on account of the other criminal who humbled himself before her Son and received eternal life. Mother Mary saw, as her Son hung on the Cross, the promise of Paradise being petitioned for and then granted. The joy she felt by witnessing the salvation of this criminal consoled the sorrow she felt at her Son’s brutal treatment.

We are all called to bring joy to the heart of our Blessed Mother. We do so when we humbly admit that we, too, are “criminals” in the sense that we are sinners. The punishment we deserve is death. But if we humbly admit this truth, we must also find the courage to beg our Lord for His mercy and to welcome us into Paradise.

Reflect, today, upon the words of this good thief. “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Our Lord died in order to pry open the gates of Paradise first shut by Adam’s sin. Reflect, also, upon the joy you bring to our Blessed Mother every time you humble yourself before the grace won by the Cross of her Son.

Dearest Mother, as you stood before your Son and heard Him promise salvation to the thief who repented, your heart leaped with pure joy. I pray that I may also bring joy to your heart as you see the grace of the Cross of your Son pour down upon me.

My dear Mother, pray for me that I may also take joy in the repentance of all sinners. Too often I find myself judgmental and slow to forgive. May my heart imitate your pure love and may I find joy in the conversion of all who turn to your Son.

My forgiving Savior, I am condemned justly for my sins and deserve death. Forgive me and have mercy on me, dear Lord. I repent of my sins and ask You for the grace to be remembered by You in Your glorious Kingdom.

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

30th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY THIRTY – “FATHER, FORGIVE THEM, FOR THEY KNOW NOT WHAT THEY DO”

When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left. [Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”] Luke 23:33-34a

As our Blessed Mother stood before the Cross of her Son, she heard Him speak these words with compassion, conviction and mercy, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” What would Mother Mary have thought as she heard her Son speak these words about those who were responsible for His brutal torture and death? What would she, as a mother, think about this prayer of her Son?

These are the first of seven statements of our divine Lord spoken from the Cross. In many ways, they are foundational teachings for the entire Christian life. These words about forgiveness are integral to that foundation.

As our Blessed Mother heard these words of her Son, she would have immediately echoed these sentiments spoken from the the heart of her Son. As Jesus cried out to the Father, begging for mercy upon those responsible for His brutal Crucifixion, so our Blessed Mother would have cried out as in one song of mercy and praise. Their hearts of mercy were united. One unwavering song of forgiveness was sung by two voices, He who suffered physically and she who suffered silently.

To forgive without reserve in such a moment is almost beyond human comprehension. It’s beyond what our fallen human nature can immediately grasp. So often we want revenge and worldly justice. We want others to be held accountable and judged for their wrongs. But this is not our role. The Father in Heaven is the only judge. We have only the duty to forgive. And we must do so over and over again.

Who has hurt you? Against whom do you hold a grudge? Whom have you failed to forgive? Forgiving another does not excuse their sin. On the contrary, an act of forgiveness acknowledges sin as a prior act in need of mercy. Forgiveness offers mercy even when it is not asked for or even deserved. Mercy must be given by us without reserve and in every situation in life on account of the unlimited mercy given to us by God. Mercy flows downhill.

Reflect, today, upon the Mother of God seeing with her own eyes the most brutal treatment of her Son. As you ponder her at the foot of the Cross, listen to Jesus speak those powerful words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Listen to those words with our Blessed Mother and know that she spoke them with her Son without reserve. Join in their prayer and offer it for those whom you need to forgive.

My dearest Mother of Mercy, you listened in love to your Son speak these most incredible words, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” These words were like an arrow of mercy piercing your heart. And you responded to these words with your own prayer of mercy for all those who had sinned against your Son.

My dear Mother, pray for me that I may imitate this prayer of forgiveness in my own life. Pray for me that I may not hesitate in offering this mercy to all who have sinned against me.

My Merciful Lord, You did not hesitate to forgive those who gravely sinned against You. They treated You with cruelty beyond comprehension, yet You forgave them with perfect mercy. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to forgive those who have sinned against me. Replace anger and hate with love and mercy.

29th Day - At the Cross

40 DAYS AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS

DAY TWENTY-NINE – JESUS IS LIFTED UP ON THE CROSS

“Now is the time of judgment on this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.” He said this indicating the kind of death he would die. John 12:31-32

Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled. He was lifted up on the Cross for all to see. Among those seeing this horrific sight was His own dear mother.

Mother Mary heard this prophecy spoken by Jesus during His public ministry. She pondered His words over the years just as she had pondered the words spoken by Simeon when she and Saint Joseph presented Jesus in the temple, “And you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35).

Mother Mary’s Immaculate Heart was now fully pierced as she gazed at her Son, lifted up on the Cross for all to see. And though this sight caused deep sorrow and pain, our Blessed Mother saw the blessing of her Son being lifted up as she pondered His own words. “Now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself.”

Though painful to see, our Blessed Mother knew that her Son’s Crucifixion was accomplishing the greatest good ever known. She knew that He had suddenly destroyed the “ruler of this world” and had driven him out from the hearts of those who turned to the Cross. She knew that her Son’s Cross would draw many to Heaven and free them from eternal death. Mother Mary herself was the first to be drawn to her Son’s Cross and to be bathed in the grace of His unending mercy.

Have you allowed the power of the Cross to transform your own life? Have you joined our Blessed Mother as she stood before the Cross with her eyes fixed in love at the image of her salvation? Have you allowed the power of the Cross to drive out the ruler of this world from your own heart? Have you allowed Jesus’ Cross to draw you to Himself and to the Father?

Reflect, today, upon these questions as you reflect upon your Lord being lifted up upon the Holy Cross. See Him hanging there and know that this is the image of your own salvation. Allow yourself to be drawn to Him and allow His Precious Blood to cover you, driving the evil one and all sin from your life. Reflect, ponder, be open and receive. The Lord was lifted up for you. Allow the power of the Cross to change your life.

My dearest Mother, though you gazed at the horrific sight of your Son’s brutal Crucifixion, you remembered the words He spoke in which He revealed the power of His sacrifice. You were aware of the deep truth that His Cross was destroying the evil one and all sin, and that all who gazed upon your Son in faith with you would be drawn to the glory of Heaven.