Our Lent series continues with the fourth of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
Read Our Lent 2018 Series
Introduction – Lent Series: The Promises of the Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Part 1 – Lent Series: The First Sorrow of Mary and Her Role in the Salvation of Mankind
Part 2 – Lent Series: The Second Sorrow of Mary and the Uncertainties in Life
Part 3 – Lent Series: The Third Sorrow of Mary and the Mysteries of God’s Will
Part 4 – Lent Series: The Fourth Sorrow of Mary and the Types of Catholics
Part 5 – Lent Series: The Fifth Sorrow of Mary and Consoling Jesus and His Mother
Part 6 – Lent Series: The Sixth Sorrow of Mary and the Blood and Water from the Side of Jesus
From the Infancy and the Childhood of Jesus in the first three Sorrows, the fourth to the seventh put emphasis on the Passion and Death of Christ.
The Fourth Sorrow of Mary is the Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary. After the instruments for ending life- the implements of nails, hammers, ropes were paraded by in front of her, and the executioners passed by, she saw Her Son, hardly recognizable because of His wounds, bruises, and clotted blood. Mary and Jesus gazed at each other.
27 And there followed him a great multitude of people, and of women, who bewailed and lamented him.
– Luke 23:27
Background of the Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary:
1. There is no exact narration in the Bible about the meeting of Mary and Jesus as He was carrying the Cross on the way to Calvary. However, it was assumed that they met because His Mother stood at the foot of the Cross with Saint John the Beloved, His cousin, and the youngest of the Apostles. This assumption also resulted from the Middle Ages, back when Roman Catholics developed 14 representations as a visual aid and a substitute to the pilgrimages done in the original Via Dolorosa, the route that Christ trailed on the way to Calvary in Jerusalem.
2. But those medieval Catholics who created the 14 Stations of the Cross, which included the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way, were not imagining it all, apparently. Although without a particular biblical verse, it was revealed to many favored Holy Mystics of the Catholic Church in their Visions that Mary was in fact present all the time during the dolorous Passion of Jesus Christ, as spoken by the Blessed Mother herself.
3. Mary told Saint Bridget of Sweden that unlike the friends of Jesus, she stayed; she was present in every moment, and able to see the first lashing during His scourging:
“Then all My Son’s friends fled from him, and his enemies came together from all directions and stood there, scourging his body, which was pure from every stain and sin. I was standing nearby, and at the very first lashing, I fell down as if I were dead. When I regained consciousness, I saw his body whipped and scourged so badly that the ribs were visible! What was even more terrible – when the whip was pulled out, his flesh was furrowed and torn by it, just as the earth is by a plough! As My Son was standing there, all bloody and wounded, so that no place could be found on him that was still intact and no sound spot could be scourged, then someone present there, aroused in spirit, asked: ‘Are you going to kill him before he is even judged?’ And he cut off his bonds immediately.”
Being there along the entire way of the Cross, the Blessed Mother, accompanied by Saint John, heard all the mockeries, saw all the brutalities, and felt in her sorrowful heart all the cruelties of men against her Son:
“Then My Son put his clothes back on, and I saw that the place where he had been standing was filled with blood! By observing My Son’s footprints, I could see where he had walked because the ground was bloody there as well. They did not even wait for him to get dressed, but pushed and dragged him to make him hurry up. While My Son was being led away like a robber, he wiped the blood from his eyes. When he had been sentenced to death, they placed the cross on him so that he could carry it to the place of suffering. When he had carried it for a while, a man came along and took the cross to carry it for him. As My Son was going to the place of suffering, some people hit him on the neck, while others hit him in the face. He was so brutally and forcefully beaten that, although I did not see who hit him, I heard the sound of the blow clearly. When I reached the place of suffering with him, I saw all the instruments of his death lying there ready. When My Son got there, he took off his clothes by himself.”
“’O sorrowful Mother,’ exclaimed St. John, ‘Your Son has now been condemned to death; be has already set out on the road to Calvary, carrying his own cross. Come, if you desire to see him and say farewell to him, as he passes through the streets.’ Mary goes along with St. John. While she waited for Her Son to come along, how much must she have heard said by the Pharisees (and their associates) against Her beloved Son, and perhaps even mockery against herself. What a frightening picture as the nails, the hammers, the ropes and all the fatal instruments that were to put an end to Her Son’s life were paraded by. But now the implements, the executioners, have all passed by. Mary raised her eyes, and saw, ‘O God!,’ a young man all covered with blood and wounds from head to foot, a wreath of thorns on his head, and carrying two heavy beams on his shoulders.”
– From the book “The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden
The look shared between the Blessed Mother and her Son Jesus was likened to arrows that pierced their very hearts.
“She gazed at Him, but hardly recognized Him. The wounds, the bruises, and the clotted blood gave Him the appearance of a leper, so that He could no longer be recognized. According to St. Bridget, Jesus wiped away the clotted blood which prevented Him from seeing Mary. The Mother and the Son looked at each other. And Their looks became as so many arrows to pierce those hearts which loved each other so tenderly. Even though the sight of Her dying Son was to cost Her such bitter sorrow, Mary would not leave Him. The Mother also took up Her cross and followed Him, to be crucified along with Him.”
– From the book “The Glories of Mary” by Saint Alphonsus Liguori
4. Personal Comments on the movie “The Passion of the Christ” that was based mostly on the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich:
The film “The Passion of the Christ” by Mel Gibson has been the greatest religious and Catholic movie ever made so far. I remember watching it in SM North Edsa Cinema with my family. The excruciating scenes definitely weren’t a time for eating popcorn.
We all know that Jesus in “The Passion of the Christ” was portrayed by the actor Jim Caviezel, who is actually a good Catholic and an amazing father in real life. As a child, I always wondered why in all the Jesus movies I watched for countless times, which I found out later on were made by non-Catholics usually, my young self always wondered why the Jesus in them looked ‘healthy’ and only had a few ‘wounds’ from the Passion to the Crucifixion.
And years later, in 2004, I saw “The Passion of the Christ” and realized why it had the most heart. For one, it’s because the language was painstakingly in Aramaic, which was the local dialect of Jesus. But more than that, it is because the whole film was based significantly on the visions of one of the most favored Mystics ever, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, whom I have often mentioned in this Lent Series. That is why this movie has a ‘holy’ feeling in it when you watch it.
More than the many evocative parts of the movie, the scene that has left a deep impression on me is the whole chapter of the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way to Calvary. The Mother and the Son, as They gazed at each other, were shown recalling their affectionate bonding moments, like when Jesus was doing His carpentry, and then His Mother attended to Him. I recall that much tears were flowing down my cheeks as I felt absorbed with the scene.
Another thing that has been stuck in my recollection was the movie’s depiction of Satan. Most likely, other filmmakers would depict him as a man. But this one had a different take. They depicted him in a way that you would not be able to tell whether the devil looked like a male or a female, along with the symbolism of a snake, both of which represented his extremely deceitful nature. The actor was actually an actress, which was why Satan looked and sounded as if a man, but a woman at the same time. To me, he looked like a characterization of the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah who were punished for their immoral, homosexual acts, an “abomination” before God (Ezekiel 16:50). In the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, the Pharisees and the enraged multitude of men said many cruel insults to Jesus and His Mother. And I could tell that in this movie, Satan was insulting and mocking the Blessed Mother in her sorrows, by his movement in a snake-like manner, during that scene of her meeting with Jesus.
Here is the detailed narrative of the Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary, according to the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich. It contains the mockeries, cruel actions, and most insulting words They received:
“THE afflicted Mother of Jesus had left the forum, accompanied by John and some other women, immediately after the unjust sentence was pronounced. She had employed herself in walking to many of the spots sanctified by our Lord and watering them with her tears; but when the sound of the trumpet, the rush of people, and the clang of the horsemen announced that the procession was about to start for Calvary, she could not resist her longing desire to behold Her beloved Son once more, and she begged John to take her to some place through which he must pass. John conducted her to a palace, which had an entrance in that street which Jesus traversed after his first fall; it was, I believe, the residence of the high priest Caiphas, whose tribunal was in the division called Sion. John asked and obtained leave from a kind-hearted servant to stand at the entrance mentioned above, with Mary and her companions. The Mother of God was pale, her eyes were red with weeping, and she was closely wrapped in a cloak of a bluish-gray colour. The clamour and insulting speeches of the enraged multitude might be plainly heard; and a herald at that moment proclaimed in a. loud voice, that three criminals were about to be crucified. The servant opened the door; the dreadful sounds became more distinct every moment; and Mary threw herself on her knees. After praying fervently, she turned to John and said, ‘Shall I remain? Ought I to go a-way? Shall I have strength to support such a sight?’ John made answer, ‘If you do not remain to see him pass, you will grieve afterwards.’ They remained therefore near the door, with their eyes fixed on the procession, which was still distant, but advancing by slow degrees. When those who were carrying the instruments for the execution approached, and the Mother of Jesus saw their insolent and triumphant looks, she could not control her feelings, but joined her hands as if to implore the help of heaven; upon which one among them said to his companions: What woman is that who is uttering such lamentations?’ Another answered: She is the Mother of the Galilean.’ When the cruel men heard this, far from being moved to compassion, they began to make game of the grief of this most afflicted Mother: they pointed at her, and one of them took the nails which were to be used for fastening Jesus to the cross, and presented them to her in an insulting manner; but she turned away, fixed her eyes upon Jesus, who was drawing near, and leant against the, pillar for support, lest she should again faint from grief, for her cheeks were as pale as death, and her lips almost blue. The Pharisees on horseback passed by first, followed by the boy who carried the inscription. Then came her beloved Son. He was almost sinking under the heavy weight of his cross, and his head, still crowned with thorns, was drooping in agony on his shoulder. He cast a look of compassion and sorrow upon his Mother, staggered, and fell for the second time upon his hands and knees. Mary was perfectly agonised at this sight; she forgot all else; she saw neither soldiers nor executioners; she saw nothing but Her dearly loved Son; and, springing from the doorway into the midst of the group who were insulting and abusing him, she threw herself on her knees by his side and embraced him. The only words I heard were, ‘Beloved Son!’ and ‘Mother!’ but I do not know whether these words were really uttered, or whether they were only in my own mind.”
A momentary confusion ensued. John and the holy women endeavoured to raise Mary from the ground, and the archers reproached her, one of them saying, What hast thou to do here, woman? He would not have been in our hands if he had been better brought up.
A few of the soldiers looked touched; and, although they obliged the Blessed Virgin to retire to the doorway, not one laid hands upon her. John and the women surrounded her as she fell half fainting against a stone, which was near the doorway, and upon which the impression of her hands remained. This stone was very hard, and was afterwards removed to the first Catholic church built in Jerusalem, near the Pool of Bethsaida, during the time that St. James the Less was Bishop of that city. The two disciples who were with the Mother of Jesus carried her into the house, and the door was shut. In the mean time the archers had raised Jesus, and obliged him to carry the cross in a different manner. Its arms being unfastened from the centre, and entangled in the ropes with which he was bound, he supported them on his arm, and by this means the weight of the body of the cross was a little taken of, as it draped more on the ground. I saw numbers of persons standing about in groups, the greatest part amusing themselves by insulting our Lord in different ways, but a tow veiled females were weeping.”
– From the book “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
My Reflection:
1. It is always a joy for me to read about or personally know Catholics who are religious (those who are pious in the Catholic Church and devotions) and kind (those who do acts of kindness and show mercy and compassion, whether to their families, people that matter in their lives, or other people, acquaintances and strangers).
2. Over the years, I have heard of and known what I call as the ‘different types of Catholics.’ I have met deeply religious Catholics. And I have met extremely kind Catholics as well. On the other hand, I have also met Catholics who are mediocre in religiosity and in kindness. But the thing is, the “better type” of Roman Catholics- those who are religious and kind at the same time, is much harder to find. That is why I feel joyful whenever I see or know one.
3. There is this type of Catholics- they are very kind, supportive, understanding and considerate, always offering their help. And that’s how you feel true mercy and compassion from them. Some of them extend their kindness by donating to charities and the poor. But the sad thing is that they are not exactly ‘practicing.’ They do not agree with many of the Catholic doctrines, commonly on premarital sex and contraception. Some are ‘cafeteria Catholics’ that believe only in what they like or what suits their situation. They are lukewarm to the Faith that they even believe in the teachings of other sects and non-Christian philosophies.
4. I also meet another type of Catholics- they seem to be very religious, saying that they pray the Rosary daily or go to Mass as many times as they can… but when you get to know them deeper- and you’ll know them when there comes any sort of problem, or especially in challenging times- you will realize that they do not deal with you with kindness- they treat you without mercy and compassion.
You see them treat their families, friends or other people they know in a way that’s arrogant, harsh, and rude. And this has always puzzled me. How could a religious Catholic person show no mercy and compassion? Perhaps, religion just happens to be one of their interests, but they could not care less about being good to others.
After I have reflected on it for so many times, I think that it is because they lack one thing- a kind heart. Remember in fairy tales, how the antagonists are set apart from the protagonists because they are without mercy and compassion? The Prince in “Beauty and the Beast” was cursed after being cruel to an old woman beggar, for example.
In real life, people become merciless and uncompassionate when they are unkind. Some are too focused on piety and preoccupied with religiosity alone that they do not even know that they have been unkind. Only God can judge whether this type of Catholics are truly in the state of grace, for while they receive the Sacraments regularly, there is not much kindness and sympathy for other people in their actions, words and hearts.
5. Surely, Our Lord God and the Blessed Mother are not pleased with either ‘type.’
Jesus said that there are two great commandments that contain the whole law of God:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind, and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment. And the second is like to it: Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
– Mark 12:30, 31
This means that we must strive to do both to truly live “Catholic.”
How can we say that we love God, when we do not do our holy obligations of constant reception of the Sacraments of Penance and Communion, do not have a prayer life, and do not believe and obey the teachings of the Church?
In the same way, how can we say that we love other people like ourselves if we do not show them kindness? Loving our neighbor does not only mean that we do not commit obvious crimes against them like murder and robbery. To love our neighbor, as Catholics, we are taught to do acts of mercy toward them. When we love someone, we can be generous, even splurge. But when we are being selfish, we resist being generous, even according to our means, toward our family members or those important to us, and do not seem to empathize with the poor, the sick, and those who suffer. How then can we say to God that we truly love?
6. Let me clarify, by the way, how “mercy” compares to “compassion” because many get confused in them. They are closely related, but they are not synonymous. Mercy is an action as a response to a person in need, like offering help, canceling debt, and not holding someone accountable. Compassion is from the Latin words com (with) and pati (suffer), which literally means, “to suffer with.” To show compassion is to feel some of the suffering that another person is feeling, so that we understand them and sympathize with them. In Tagalog, they are awa at habag; maawain and mahabagin (merciful and compassionate).
7. And if we do not live as the type of Catholic who is both religious and kind, then we continue displeasing God. We would still be crucifying Jesus- because those two other ‘types of Catholics’ I’ve earlier discussed remind us of the awful people who crucified Jesus back on the very first Good Friday.
8. Think of all those people who lined up back then along the Way of the Cross. Our Sorrowful Mother had all seen them. Her Son Jesus as He carried His Cross searched the heart of each and every one of them. Both of Them had most probably found there those types of Catholics who were ‘kind but unreligious,’ and ‘pious but unkind.’
Some of those people there were probably agonizing over the sight of the Passion and Crucifixion of Jesus out of kindness, mercy and compassion for this innocent Galilean Man but were yet to be baptized as Christians, as to be ‘religious.’
The other ‘type’ was much more awful. Many among the multitude of people who gathered there were religious Jews, as well as the Roman soldiers or Centurions and the Pharisees, who claimed to obey all the Commandments of God and practice many virtues of piety, or so they thought; because they were the very people who rejected the Messiah, and clamored for Him to be crucified. Those people shouted furies of insults and mockeries against Jesus and His Mother Mary.
9. How consoling it would have been for Mary if the people who were present during the Way of the Cross treated her and her Son with mercy and compassion, instead of throwing the most insulting words against Them, as if their Sorrow was not enough; or if those soldiers empathized by comforting her, instead of driving her away! What a consolation for our Blessed Mother, too, if all those people believed that Jesus Christ was the true Messiah, the Son of God!
10. In our present time, unkind Catholics may not be directly insulting God and His Mother, but they are offending Him just the same.
I’m sure that many of us have heard other people give insulting comments, or say insensitive and discouraging remarks about someone- it could be to a person who has an illness, or has a family member who’s sick or just died, or to a person who has difficult problems and life pains. Instead of consoling that person, some people insensitively blurt out things to him or her that are hurtful.
I have also encountered those who cause more problems to their friend who they already know has been going through some tough times. As if that person’s situation is not hard enough, unkind people would even fight with them thoughtlessly or inconsiderately, once a problem comes up. The sadder matter is when such inconsiderate people are supposedly religious Catholics.
11. Since we are Mary’s spiritual children, what others do to us, they do to her too. And if you have experienced unjust insults that worsen your sufferings like Mary had, be consoled that whatever they’ve done to you, they actually do to Jesus. Mary herself suffered more than any Holy Martyrs of the Church, being His Mother who is most united with Him, because every wound, physical and non-physical, that Her Son Jesus Christ ever received, she felt it in her soul:
“Every torture inflicted on the body of Jesus, was a wound in the heart of His Mother.”
– Saint Jerome“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me. Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
– Matthew 25:40-41
12. If we think that we are already good people, let us not allow our good works to get wasted by the cunning deceit of the devil that it’s enough to just do good works, and it’s fine to disobey some of the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is where other non-Catholic sects are mistaken; they think good works are enough, along with simply ‘accepting’ that Jesus is our Savior. As Catholics we are taught that our good works must be grounded on the reception of valid Sacraments of the Church, to be able to enter the gates of Heaven that has been opened again for those who die in state of grace.
13. Much in the same way, if we are already religious, we must always examine our conscience and look deeper into our hearts to know if we outwardly apply all that we learn in the Catholic faith- if we have a kind heart that expresses true kindness to others and forms into mercy and compassion.
14. Right from the beginning, those who were ‘religious,’ in the sense that they already had the faith that Jesus Christ was the Lord and God, and at the same time, were ‘good and kind’ people, were the ones who accompanied Mary, including Saint John and the holy women with her. It is their examples that we must copy to be His true disciples.
15. The Sorrow that filled the heart of the Blessed Mother in that moment on the way to Calvary should move us to ask ourselves what type of Catholic we are now: “Do I see myself, in any way, in those people whose unkindness and irreverence pierced The Hearts of Mary and Jesus? Do I have the humility to admit and be honest with myself that I am not as kind as I think I am?”
***
God desires us to be the “better type” of Catholics who are both truly pious and truthfully kind because He always invites us to live in His image. I, too, always remind myself of this thought. And God has given us hope in Mary, His Sorrowful Mother, to be our highest model in virtue. With the help of our Blessed Mother, her loving spouse Saint Joseph, and the Saints, let us be solid in our Catholic faith, live out the teachings with sincerity, and harden not our hearts- to give justice to calling ourselves “Catholic.”
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
Mama Mary, pray for us!
Amen.
She graduated cum laude from the University of Santo Tomas, the country's Pontifical and Catholic university, with an AB in Legal Management and minor units in Theology.
As an unmarried woman, prayer holds a central place in her daily life, with a focus on the Rosary and the Divine Office. Embodying her faith, she emphasizes the growth of her inner spiritual life, guided by the wisdom of Carmelite spirituality.
God manifested to her in a unique and radical manner, which made her know Who He truly is and led her to total surrender of her life to Him.
She has studied the Bible with her family, developing a particular fondness for the Old Testament.
Her adorable and intelligent toy poodle is a delightful companion in her daily life, bringing warmth and joy to her home.
Her hobbies include reading about everything, learning Japanese and German, listening to music and playing the flute.
In her leisure time, she enjoys gaming on PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch OLED, Nintendo 3DS, iOS and OS, and collecting things related to PlayStation and Nintendo.
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