Station IV: Jesus Meets His Sorrowful Mother
At the time of Jesus' dedication in the Temple, the elderly Simeon prophesied to Mary that "a sword shall pierce your heart", a foreshadowing of the Passion of Christ.
The donor for this station saw a carving of the Nativity which I had created for a church in North Carolina. Moved by the image of the Christ child, she expressed a desire to have an infant in her station. Hence, Mary meets Christ during his Passion, while in the background a woman embraces her infant. This figure represents Mary at the nativity but also acknowledges those who suffer the loss of a child.
The pain of loss, the witness of a loved one's suffering, confronts the individual with a sense of emotional isolation, a numbness too deep for despair, a feeling of abandonment by God and a despair of humanity. Identifying with Mary's own anquish witnessing the Passion, we too cling to hope in spite of how seemingly distant is may appear.
Through the touching embrace of love and empathy for the suffering, we are united with the Passion and find our way on the road that leads to Easter joy.
In seeking to offer the embrace of love and comfort to those who suffer, we are also embraced with the love and comfort of Christ. The embrace of Mary and Jesus on the sorrowful Way is a sign of the Sacrament of love, the mystery of salvation and hope.
Mary freely embraces her Son, not fearing the soldiers, the crowd, blood or the crown of thorns. Christ reminds us in the Gospel that whenever we do for the least of His People, we do likewise for Him. Our willingness to embrace the poor, suffering, migrants, and all those who suffer injustice, additiction and other evils reveals our willingness to embrace Christ and join ourselves to His saving Passion.
