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Sorrowful Mother is sign of hope, solace |
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By Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
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Thursday, 06 May 2010 |
The month of May has traditionally been dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. May crownings, rosary processions and other Marian devotions are encouraged during these days.
 That They May All
Be One
Archbishop John C. Nienstedt
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Recently, I read the following article written by a friend of mine, Father Louis Cameli of the Archdiocese of Chicago. His reflection on Our Mother, Mary, under her title of Our Lady of Sorrow, seems an appropriate one at this particular moment in the church’s history. I hope it offers some food for thought or, better, prayer:
“Ten or 20 years ago, it would have been unthinkable or, at least,
improbable to consider writing about Mary as the mother of sorrows.
Devotion to Mary under that title and in Roman Catholic circles had its
heyday in the ‘40s and ‘50s.
“Time has passed and given us larger perspectives. The flood of peppy
and overly optimistic postconciliar spiritualities failed to satisfy
people, precisely because they did not and could not engage people on
the level of suffering.
“There is a vast quantity of suffering in the world. It extends from
deeply personal and hidden domains through social patterns and global
realities. It even reaches a cosmic dimension. These abstract levels of
suffering are marked out very specifically by sorrowing mothers. In some
particular and powerful way a large quantity of human suffering
coalesces in the hearts of mothers. . . .
“Even before a theology of suffering was elaborated, the images of a
young and suffering mother bearing a child in a hostile world, and an
older mother standing before the cross of her Son as He was dying,
captivated generations of believers. The embodiment in art and poetry
and music of the “Mater dolorosa” (sorrowful Mother) suggests that
priority needs to be given to the primary experience which is both
imaginative and affective.”
Context important
Father Cameli then makes a very important distinction that is also
helpful for us in these days:
“If we are to trace the biblical witness to Mary’s sufferings, her
experience of sorrow, a fundamental distinction is necessary. We are
following the experience of someone whose title is sorrowful mother, not
depressed mother. In the Gospels as documents of faith, we have Mary’s
experience of suffering presented in a context of faith, hope and love.
Were the Gospels to chronicle her pain simply in a context of sadness,
perhaps anger, a lack of resolution, and ultimately without perceived
hope, then she would not emerge as a pained, sorrowing yet faith-filled
person but rather as depressed person.”
Four characteristics
Father Cameli then shares four characteristics of the biblical witness
of Mary’s sufferings. He characterizes her approach as one of struggle,
presence, expansion and surrender:
1) Struggle — Mary’s first response to suffering is struggle.
Because of an excessively passive piety in the past, we may be surprised
that struggle can be named the first response to suffering. Mary’s
‘yes’ is not mere acquiescence but active engagement in the unfolding of
salvation. Mary’s response to suffering by way of struggle becomes
clear in the Magnificat (Luke, chapter 2). Here we find suffering,
struggle, hope, courage and anticipation.
2) Presence — As she shares in the sufferings of her Son, Mary
accompanies Him, does not ‘do’ anything. Hers is an active and engaged
presence that includes: knowing, understanding, accepting and loving.
3) Expansion — A significant response of Mary to suffering is
an expansion of consciousness and of concern. The Gospel narratives are
quite clear about this. At the cross, in John’s Gospel, she faces the
greatest loss. Precisely at that moment, she expands her embrace and
receives the beloved disciple and, symbolically, all other disciples as
their mother. In the face of her most intense suffering, she expands the
arena of her concern.
4) Surrender — Mary’s surrender is a surrender to God.
Psychologically, that means not clinging to her control over matters or
outcomes. . . .
“How can Mary be the sorrowful mother if she has been gloriously assumed
in heaven? Recall the image of the Risen Lord Who continues to bear the
wounds of His passion. He is glorified and wounded still. For the
mystery is one: death and resurrection. Similarly, Mary is both “virgo
assumpta” (virgin assumed into heaven) and “mater dolorosa” (sorrowful
mother). Her sufferings and sorrows have shaped her glory. She is a
‘sign of sure hope and solace for the pilgrim people of God.’ ”
God bless you!
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