What Christ Gave Us

I handed bedtime duty one night over to my husband. I had to take care of a teething infant and our toddlers were asking for prayers and a story so I said "Daddy will say prayers and a story for you!" So they happily climbed into bed and laid down for prayers and a story. Well when I say prayers, it's a Hail Mary followed by the "Now I Lay Me..." Prayer. Then we say the Guardian Angel prayer and the prayer that gets souls out of purgatory followed by a few of our own. Well my husband doesn't know all of that- he's Methodist. So he will pray the Our Father and then the "Now I Lay Me" prayer. It got me thinking about the differences between denominations.

Many denominations believe that we should only go by what is written in the bible. That's it and nothing else. Except there are verses in the bible that will say "He did all of this and more" or "All these things could not be recorded here". So there are things that were revealed or done by Christ that were passed along by people and in tradition. Not written down in a book of the Bible. Eventually tradition was written down and Christians had counsels and the Catechism was eventually solidified. In that sense of tradition we as Catholics hold to the fact that Mary is Our Mother. Many other denominations don't hold that same truth for one reason or another. However, when Christ hung on the cross he said very little. He saved a criminal. Who knows how many hearts he converted that day. But he also gave us His Mother. "And seeing her there with the disciple that He loved said, 'Woman, there is your son. There is your mother.' From that hour onward the disciple took her into his care." That disciple is never named although there are theories of who is spoken of. One of those theories is that "the beloved disciple" is actually us. Future Christians.

Hanging on that cross was excruciating. He had to lift himself up on the nails to be able to speak. He was suffocating to death as he bled to death. For three hours. If He was simply making sure Mary was cared for on earth I think he would've set something up for her in advance. What if, instead, Christ gave Mary TO US from the Cross. "There is your mother." Why else would he waste precious words and energy but to give us a powerful friend and intercessor- and in fact a Mother in Heaven? He hung on the cross for our Salvation. Everything he said "to bring scripture to fulfillment" so everyone would know that he was the Messiah! Would he give us His Mother for any other reason but to aide us and for Our Salvation?
Mary, Queen of Heaven, Pray for Us.
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Have Mercy on us!