“Behold thy mother” (John 19:27) | EXPLAINED | 3rd Word from the Cross

When our Blessed Lord said this third word from the Cross, “Behold, thy mother” (John 19:27).

Who was he speaking to?

Was it just John the Apostle?

In one way, yes. When Our Blessed Lord said, “Behold, thy mother” (John 19:27), He was speaking to the Apostle John.

Why? Our Blessed Lord knew that John needed Mary to be intimately involved in his life going forward as a spiritual mother in order for John to become the great St. John.

And so Christ gave John this one last gift before He departed into His Father’s arms. He gave John His Mother.

And what was John’s response? The Gospel says: “And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home” (John 19:27).

St Ambrose says that the original Greek text of this passage suggests a deeper meaning than simply John taking Mary into his physical home or taking care of Mary. The Greek test “eis ta idia,” means John took Mary into his interior life, that is, into his soul.

From that hour onward, for the rest of his life on earth, John took Mary into his home. He fully took Mary into his care, into his life.

As a result, John became the great St. John the Evangelist.

But there is more…

One of the reasons the great St. John the Evangelist did not use his first name but rather the title, “beloved disciple,” was to send a clear message to you and to me that Our Blessed Lord intended these words from the Cross, “Behold, thy mother!” to be spoken to all of us.

Every person who goes to Christ and desires to be His disciple, every person who takes up their cross and follows Jesus all the way, will also hear the words of Christ, “Behold, thy mother” (John 19:27).

Jesus does not change His plans to make saints. Christ wants to give us the best gift ever as well: His Mother. He desired it for His first beloved disciple. And He desires it for all of His beloved disciples.

The 1st beloved disciple’s response was to take Mary fully into his home, into his care, into his life. What is our response?

Should we say in return, “No, Jesus, this is all about you and me”?

If Jesus remembered Mary on the Cross, should we forget her?

No. Don’t reject Jesus’ gift. Don’t forget Mary!

BONUS

What does it look like to accept Mary into your life?

Growing up, a basic rule of morality that my older brother would say to me is, “Don’t do anything of which mom would be ashamed.” In that counsel, he is offering me a morality based on a higher love. If I have a higher love for my mom than a certain vice, I will have something to make a sacrifice, to choose a higher love.

In a similar but profoundly higher way, Jesus, our older brother, gave His Mother to us so that He could truly say to us, “Don’t do anything of which Mom would be ashamed.” The more we love Mary, the easier it will be to choose her above lesser and baser loves and impulses.

We become like that which we love. The higher our love, the nobler our character. Mary is “an object of love so pure, so holy, and so motherly that, to be worthy of it, we refrain from doing anything that might offend her.” Given a woman like the Mother of Our Lord as our supernatural Mother, you have one of the greatest inspirations for nobler living this world has ever known.

“If you have never before prayed to Mary, do so now. Can you not see that if Christ Himself willed to be physically formed in her for nine months and then be spiritually formed by her for thirty years, it is to her that we must go to learn how to have Christ formed in us? Only she who raised Christ can raise a Christian” (Sheen). Pray the Rosary.