Our Lent series continues with the sixth 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
The Sixth Sorrow of Mary is the Piercing of the Side of Jesus and His Descent from the Cross. What more could add to the inexplicable grief of the Blessed Mother from the Passion and Death of Her Son, than the real pain she felt from the piercing of side of Jesus and the sorrow she experienced as she cradled His lifeless body.
32 The soldiers therefore came; and they broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him.
33 But after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear opened his side, and immediately there came out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it, hath given testimony, and his testimony is true. And he knoweth that he saith true; that you also may believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture might be fulfilled: You shall not break a bone of him.
37 And again another scripture saith: They shall look on him whom they pierced.– John 19:32-37
Biblical Background and Mystical Accounts of the Piercing of the Side of Jesus and His Descent from the Cross:
1. Jesus is the Prophesied One.
Only the Gospel of John speaks about the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy that points to the piercing of the Lord’s body. That prophecy, written in the Book of Zechariah, declared that those in Jerusalem would mourn for and weep over an only child from the House of David; a firstborn whom they have pierced. Clearly, Jesus was the embodiment of that prophecy, as John the Evangelist confirmed.
10 And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace, and of prayers: and they shall look upon me, whom they have pierced: and they shall mourn for him as one mourneth for an only son, and they shall grieve over him, as the manner is to grieve for the death of the firstborn.
– Zechariah 12:10
2. Visions of the Holy Mystics, like that of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and that of Saint Bridget of Sweden, serve as additional narratives of the events of the Sixth Sorrow.
Like the Fourth Sorrow, the Meeting on the way to Calvary, there is no explicit mention in the Bible about the Sixth Sorrow of Mary. None of the Gospels stated that Mary felt the very pain from the piercing of the lance into Jesus and that she held Jesus in her arms after He was taken down from the Cross. But the Gospel of John, written as a firsthand eyewitness account, ascertained that Mary faithfully stood by the foot of the Cross. Then came, at a much later time, the favored Mystics whose visions about the various sorrows of the Blessed Mother, including the sixth, supplemented the Scripture in greater detail.
3. The lance speared into the side of Jesus tore the very flesh of His heart; but the pain pierced into the heart of Mary like a sword of sorrow.
In the visions of Blessed Anne Emmerich, it was a subaltern officer by the name of Cassius who pierced the side of Jesus. That violent act came about from the cruelty of the other soldiers who forcefully broke the legs of the two thieves with iron mallets to hasten their deaths.
Mary and the holy women feared the same would be done to Jesus, as the soldiers looked doubtful whether He was dead. So Cassius took it upon himself to prove His death beyond doubt; but in so doing, had inflicted on Jesus and Mary a most painful stroke – a wound to their hearts.
Blessed Emmerich narrated:
“He [Cassius] seized his lance and rode quickly up to the mound on which the Cross was planted, stopped just between the cross of the good thief and that of our Lord, and taking his lance in both hands, thrust it so completely into the right side of Jesus…”
“Mary looked as if the lance had transfixed her heart instead of that of Her Divine Son, and could scarcely support herself.”
Saint Bridget also received the same revelation from the Blessed Mother Herself:
“When the spear was pulled out, its point appeared to be red with blood. It seemed to me then, when I saw my beloved Son’s heart pierced, that my own heart had been pierced as well!”
The Church Fathers understood this as the realization of the very sword that the Holy Simeon prophesied. It was a sword of sorrow, not a sword of iron that pierced her heart.
The First Sorrow of Mary – The Prophecy of Simeon
35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce
– Luke 2:35
4. The miracle of the Blood and Water from the side of Jesus
In John’s Gospel, it is said that one soldier speared open the side of Jesus, but does not specify the actual body part it wounded. But it was revealed to both Blessed Emmerich and Saint Bridget that the lance actually pierced through the Heart of Jesus.
“…That the point [of the lance] went through the heart, and appeared on the left side.”
– From the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
And as the Gospel and the revelations to Mystics testify, from the open wound came forth “blood and water.” It’s a very meaningful part of the entire narrative on the Passion and Death of Jesus, beginning with a miracle that Cassius received when Jesus’ blood and water flowed over his being – the healing of his eyes and of his very soul.
“When Cassius drew his lance out of the wound a quantity of blood and water rushed from it, and flowed over his face and body. This species of washing produced effects somewhat similar to the vivifying waters of Baptism: grace and salvation at once entered his soul.”
“Cassius, whose sight was perfectly restored at the same moment that the eyes of his soul were opened, was deeply moved, and continued his humble prayer of thanksgiving.”
– From the visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich
5. It was revealed to Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, in great detail once again, how the body of Our Lord was descended from the Cross.
She described it as a “most touching sight” wherein the few faithful disciples who remained, Saint John, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea and the converted centurion Abenadar and the officer Cassius, carefully removed the instruments of death, took down the body of Jesus, and placed Him into the arms of His Mother who “stretched forth [her arms] to receive their precious burden.”
Here is the emotionally touching narrative of the Descent from the Cross:
“Nicodemus and Joseph placed the ladders behind the Cross, and mounted them, holding in their hands a large sheet, to which three long straps were fastened. They tied the body of Jesus, below the arms and knees, to the tree of the Cross, and secured the arms by pieces of linen placed underneath the hands. Then they drew out the nails, by pushing them from behind with strong pins pressed upon the points. The sacred hands of Jesus were thus not much shaken, and the nails fell easily out of the wounds; for the latter had been made wider by the weight of the body, which, being now supported by the cloths, no longer hung on the nails. The lower part of the body, which since our Lord’s death had sunk down on the knees, now rested in a natural position, supported by a sheet fastened above to the arms of the Cross. Whilst Joseph was taking out the nail from the left hand, and then allowing the left arm, supported by its cloth, to fall gently down upon the body, Nicodemus was fastening the right arm of Jesus to that of the Cross, as also the sacred crowned head, which had sunk on the right shoulder. Then he took out the right nail, and having surrounded the arm with its supporting sheet, let it fall gently on to the body. At the same time, the centurion Abenadar, with great difficulty, drew out the large nail which transfixed the feet. Cassius devoutly received the nails, and laid them at the feet of the Blessed Virgin.”
– From the books “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ” by Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich and “The Prophecies and Revelations of Saint Bridget (Birgitta) of Sweden” by Saint Bridget of Sweden
My Reflection:
1. The Mother and the Child are in the midst of those who feel pain- physical, emotional or spiritual.
When we go through difficult times, I think it would greatly help to gaze at the Sorrowful Mother holding Her Son in her arms. Mary not only cradled Jesus in the joyous moments of His birth; she also held Him in the sorrowful moments of His death.
Contemplating on that will give us consolation that Their love is always with us, in our gladness and in our sadness.
Mary knew that in spite of her deep sorrows, there was the promise of Resurrection. This tells us that the world and its men may be cruel, but the promise of Heaven awaits those of us who would faithfully endure our sufferings, honor the Blessed Mother, and follow God’s Commandment of love.
2. The Flow of the Blood and Water from the side of Jesus points to some important aspects of our Faith.
a. The Sacrament of the Eucharist
It was Jesus Himself, before His Passion, who instituted the Sacrament of the Eucharist. And the occurrence of the flow of Blood and Water from His piercing repeats to us His words in the Gospels, and the significance of this sacrament to every Catholic.
27 And taking the chalice, he gave thanks, and gave to them, saying: Drink ye all of this.
28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for many unto remission of sins.
– Matthew 26:27-28
b. The Sacrament of Baptism
In Baptism, all those present during this Sacrament, through the prayers of the priest, remember how the water and blood of Jesus flowed into the world as He was crucified from the Cross. Through God’s gift of water, we are cleansed of the original sin of our First Parents and are called to become witnesses of Christ.
c. The Humanity and Divinity of Jesus
We believe that God became Man. In the Nicene Creed, we profess His Only Begotten Son’s Incarnation through the Virgin Mary. The flow of blood and water from the wound of Jesus reminds us of the very human truth that just as He lived as a man, He died as a man. Medical experts believed that the outpour of blood and water was scientifically factual. But because Jesus is Divine as He is Man, He triumphed over death through His Resurrection. And in the profession of faith, we must firmly believe that we, too, shall have an everlasting life with God if we live according to His Will.
***
Let us pray that the redemptive Blood of Christ fill us with holiness and that the cleansing Water from the side of Christ reinvigorate us.
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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