During Lent, Catholics all over the world come together to pray the Stations of the Cross, and usually we sing a hymn called the Stabat Mater. It’s really a beautiful prayer that we ought to pay more attention to. It’s a poem, really, that was probably written about 800 years ago by a Franciscan, Jacopone da Todi.
The Stabat Mater is a piece that is of great importance in the history of music. You may not realize that literally hundreds of composers have set it to music! If we think of it, that makes sense, as the poem is a great contemplation of THE central event of all history: THE PASSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. Mary is at the foot of the Cross.
It’s a prayer to Mary, but it’s different. Usually, we are asking Mary to help us in our lives. In the Stabat Mater we are asking to help her, “Let me share with thee His Pain.” We ask to share Christ’s suffering!
What is going on? The Cross is God’s answer to human suffering and death, his confrontation with evil and human sin. The greatest of paradoxes: this decisive victory of love not only conquers evil. The infinite God makes it the Sacrifice that forges an eternal covenant that is in a very profound way a wedding between God and Man, the marriage of Christ and the Church.
Mary is right there, in the middle of it. Mary the Mother totally united in love with her Son. So, she, in a sense, is the Church. In a sense, we are in our Mother and she represents us.
At the foot of the Cross, we can understand how God works, transforming suffering and death into life! When we “get” it, we want to share in it, as difficult as it may be. We ask to be part of Jesus’ victory of Love, with our Mother Mary. How do live that out?
In the readings of today, the Lord tells us to keep the commandments of the Law. He is not telling us just to be good boys and girls. Rather the Lord is calling us to so much more! It’s through living his law of love that He draws us into this union of love, the Covenant. Mary is our Mother and our model. This we can live and do, by His grace…
Another great paradox. We are to do it in simple, everyday ways yet by doing so, CHRIST MAKES ALL THINGS NEW.
- Father Jim's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
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