This Holy Saturday, in the morning, I would have been in a presentation at Bishop Molloy Retreat House in Jamaica,NY. The presentation was a role play. We were to imagine that we were in the Upper Room the day after Jesus’ death on the cross. There were several of us participating. Some of the disciples would have been there, all in despair and feeling guilty and confused. One person would have been sitting there, quietly looking around the room and thinking of what she could do to help the situation in the room. She decided to speak up after hearing so much lamentation coming from around the room. She spoke up with words of love and compassion. She was taking the place of her Son at that moment. She was also becoming the Mother that the Lord Jesus asked her to be!   

 I was supposed to play that person, Mary. Wow, how dare I even think that I could be her and act like her? But you know, for many years I have been thinking about where the disciples learned about Mary’s life and what happened to her. I believe that her story was told that day. Sometimes when you’re grieving and confused the best thing to do is to remember! I don’t know if this really happened or not, but all of you that love Mary understand her need to show love, compassion and understanding! This was the perfect time. Although she was grieving she realized how important it was to bring back the good times, the special times, the holy times that everyone in the room spent with her Son, Jesus.   

 So Mary told her story:      She started at the beginning: her being betrothed to Joseph, the carpenter; her visit from the Angel and her realization of being chosen by God to bear His Son and saying “Yes”; her visit to Elizabeth; John jumping from joy in Elizabeth’s womb and the proclamation that Elizabeth made; her visit with Joseph in presenting the baby Jesus, in the synagogue, and what she heard from Simeon; their escape to Egypt and later returning to Nazareth; their life raising the Son of God! All of these things she told the disciples, I believed, quietly, and with a gleam of love and hope in her voice. She told them how she knew that He had to leave home one day and decided that she was going to follow Him and be part of all that happened. Yes, I truly believe that she was there the whole time!    

 We know that Mary was a strong woman just by the fact that she had said “Yes” to God. Why would she stay behind? Joseph seemed to have died by the time Jesus started His ministry, so what was going to keep her at home in Nazareth? She followed Him everywhere. She must have seen the Holy Spirit come down after Jesus was baptized at the Jordan and the Father declared that He was very proud of His Son: “Listen to Him”, He said! We know that she was there at the wedding in Cana, so why not continue? It must have been wonderful for her to see her son so loved and admired. But I’m sure she also realized the fear and hatred that were also shown by some. She, I think, would have been elated by all she saw and in fear all the time for her son’s safety. Did she sometimes forget that her son was the Son of God and not hers alone? From what He taught and did , did she realize that He had a job to do and that He had His Father’s blessing in order to do it? Did she realize that everything He did He did in the name of His Father and His Father’s Glory? How much did she understand? She was human after all.   

 Maybe in my imagination I have been influenced by many of the movies I have seen on the topic of Jesus, but I truly believe Mary was there during the Last Supper, at the Garden (probably the only one awake and praying), outside the Sanhedrin waiting. She witnessed the accusation in front of Pilate and later the horrors of our Lord’s walk to His death with a cross, and we know she was there when He was taken down from the cross! Where would she go after His burial? What would she do except be with His disciples, her new sons and daughters. She would do what any mother would do!   

 This time of the year is the time to reflect on our own lives ! It’s a time to think of how close we are to our Lord Jesus and how much we’ve learned from Him . We can do that by ourselves or we can get some help. Let our Blessed Mother Mary guide you through her experiences with Him. See what she saw. Let her speak to you too! Right now under the threat of the pandemic we are going through very hard times. We are carrying a heavy cross. We know that our Lord God hasn’t abandoned us. He has given us His Son, His Holy Spirit, and Mary to look after us!     Lord, I am a sinner that loves you more than anything. Thank you for your love and forgiveness. Thank you for the mother you have given us. We praise and adore you Lord Jesus! Thank you for your sacrifice! Thank you for being the Truth, the Love and the Life!