Mary's Passion and Modern Day Motherhood. What is the Connection?

How does this instance of Our Lady encountering Jesus on the way to his crucifixion apply to modern day motherhood? You probably are tempted to say, “Her son was perfect. She never dealt with the issues I have to deal with! What would she know about the trials and tribulations of modern day motherhood?”

The answer is quite simple. Mary knows everything and more about the situation you are in with your son or daughter. How? She encountered the very depth and depravity of hell when her son was on the cross. She faced the tragedy of sin and all of its ugliness during her son’s passion. Whatever is burdening your heart now, Mary saw it, embraced it and owned it when she came face to the face with her broken, bruised and bleeding son. She saw your pain then, she sees it now and binds all of it to her heart so yours may be made whole once again.

Mary’s Passion applies to yours in this way: Christ’s falling a second time represents the fall of every person who has ever existed. All of us know the sting of rejection and the pain of being beaten down to the point of not wanting to get up.

That is where I found myself not long ago. Self-confidence has been a life-long struggle for me. I have spent countless hours wondering if I am good enough at……anything. The answer I received was a resounding no. So I self-medicated using pornography, which spun me into a dark, lonely and downward spiral I am still recovering from to this very day. This addiction allowed rejection to become my acceptance, anger to be my attitude and previous wounds to deepen. Loneliness was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

It was in this place I had fallen so many times where my own mother and Our Lady met me amidst the muck and filth of my past. Just as Mary met her son right where he was at, they met me in the place of my deepest wounds. In meeting me there, the healing process began and they helped me bring me back to what it was I longed for in the first place: love. Our Lady met me in the midst of my darkest hour, as did my mother. When I needed them they were there. In my mind’s eye I saw Our Lady loving me, comforting me, wiping the tears from my eyes and giving me the encouragement and acceptance I needed. My mother imitated Our Lady by listening to me and loving me. Do you see the beautiful connection? Just by being present, mothers heal and bring hope!

I am not a mystic. Nor am I a parent. All I can tell you is that as a son whose earthly and heavenly mother helped him heal, you, just like Our Lady, have the wonderful opportunity to meet your son or daughter in the midst of where they have fallen so they too may get up and move beyond the past. Like you, Mary not only suffered through her son’s passion, her passion is for Christ and for us! The cross was the place Mary gave birth to us, the Church! (See John 19:26) Like her, your passion is and always will remain for your children. You know them. You gave birth to them. You have the incredible opportunity to give them the love and acceptance they are longing for!

It all starts by meeting them where they are at and loving them in that place Mary loved her son as he was dying. Is it scary? Yes! Your hesitancy is the fear of the unknown, the fear of vulnerability and the chance that you might be rejected.

However, the desire for your child is far greater than the fears that surround your heart! Remember, perfect (complete) love casts our fear! Complete and total love is what my generation is looking for. Why do you think we go to drugs, sex and alcohol? Deep down, we are looking for the intimacy that so many of us never received. Perfect (complete) love can change the trajectory of their life.

If you do this, it will assist your child in getting up and like Our Lady, after she experienced her son’s passion, she also experienced the joy of his resurrection.

What will that victory look like? That part is coming up next!