Mary in the Midst of our Sorrow

Mary in the midst of our sorrow. Mary in the midst of our current preoccupations. A discreet presence, yet how reassuring and beneficial. Just as on the road leading to Calvary, the presence and the gaze of Mary gives us the stamina not to flail about despairingly in the face of the terrors of COVID 19. Mary’s gaze illumines and transforms every Way of the Cross into a Way of Hope, Resurrection, and Life.

When the everyday grind for Joseph became frustrating, with nothing to look forward to, Mary’s gaze was for him a source of comfort, courage, and resilience. It was equally her gaze that Jesus himself returned to move forward on his journey of life and compassion toward the cross.

Finally, as he meditated on the passion of Christ and the mysteries of the rosary, it is from her gaze that Brother André drew the strength to carry on from day to day his service to the pilgrims at Saint Joseph’s Oratory with charity and humility.

Let us remember what Brother André himself said frequently concerning the Virgin Mary, “The Blessed Virgin is our mother and she will be there at our end.” With Mary at our side during this month of May, we shall prevail over the present hardships.

Mary, my mother, I open even the humdrum parts of my life to your presence. With you, I shall again feel like a child who is not afraid of the dark. (Psalm 130)

Father Jean-Baptiste Vérité