Our Lady of Sorrows

Have you ever meditated in prayer the roll the Virgin Mary played in being the mother of Christ?

Tuesday, September 16, 2014,while pondering "Our Lady of Sorrows" and ending my day, I read the following from the Magnificat and the following stood out and touched my   

"The picture of Mary bowed down with sorrow on Calvary teaches us that on earth pain is the twin sister of love."

Pain is the twin sister of love, can we relate?
How many times in our own lives have we been deeply hurt by someone and the pain turns to hate, bitterness, resentment and unforgiveness? How many times in our life, have we stopped loving, because the hurt is so painful, we let the "drama" rob us of the true meaning of love?

What if you were arrested, beaten, scourged, spit on, crowned with thorns and mocked about being a king? Then you were forced to a hill, carrying a cross and they nailed you on it? Could you still love them?

"Father forgive them, for they do not know what they do." Luke 23:34

The Prophecy of Simeon
…34And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed-- 35and a sword will pierce even your own soul-- to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

Can you imagine the sword that pierced Mary's heart that day, her Son was crucified? If anyone had a right to hate the world and her role in which she was called by God, she did.

We know and have heard many, many times "For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son."

But, what about Mary and the role she played in God's plan for salvation? He chose her and called her and she said "yes." Luke 1:38 "I am the Lord's servant,"
"And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. So Mary said, " Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.

My question... What can we learn from Mary? and Who is God calling you to love, through the trials of pain...
Pondering the role in which God called Mary and knowing God calls us all? Our love is so shallow and it's so hard to love when we are hurt, and yes, pain is the twin sister of love and if we can't get pass the pain, we will never understand what unconditional "love" really means? God's love is truly unconditional, we did not earn it, we did not deserve it. You will find no scripture in the Bible why God loves you. He has no reason or criteria to love us. If we ignore Him in our lives or crucify Him on a cross, He still loves us.
What about Mary? If you crucified her only Son, would she still love this world?

"All these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer, together with the women and the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" (Acts 1:14). In these simple words the author of Acts records the presence of Christ's mother in the upper room during the days of preparation for Pentecost. Could you of been there, had they crucified your Son?
I'm beginning to understand through the eyes of Mary, how little I know about love, how to love and be loved. She's pointing me to her Son. Pain is the twin sister of love. But, the world tells us to run from pain, to medicate pain, to get even, to have the last word, to be right...to be self righteous... Our world tells us we need to find ourselves, love ourselves and grow in self. Did Jesus? Did Mary? Had they protected self where would we be today? Unconditional love is a hard lesson to learn and I'm a "mother too" and I'm learning from the eyes of Mary that she loved from the cradle to the cross.
Ponder this...
But in her anguish, where could Mary turn her gaze as she stood beneath the cross? Upon Jesus? Ah, it was precisely the sight of her divine Son that caused her the most intense suffering….

Her one consolation at the sufferings of her Son was the knowledge that through his death we would be redeemed. Mary offered her Son willingly for our salvation; yes, the sacrifice she made in union with him was so great that Saint Alphonsus says of it, “Two hung upon one cross.”… closing thoughts, just maybe a mother can understand this and a dad.. Being a parent, God has taught me so much about unconditional love, and our love is not to stop with our children.. He calls us to love everyone and that's when we are truly challenged. It's so easy to love those who fit in our box. Stepping out of our box, will challenge us with God's help to truly understand Agape Love... It's so hard to step out of our secure box, so many battle scars.... but God can't teach us what love really is, unless, we embrace the pain and take it to the Cross.