A Reflection for Good Friday by Fr Louis Kitt
‘Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother,
Woman, this is your son.
Then to the disciple he said,
This is your mother.
And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home’. Jn 19:25-27
On the Cross, Jesus gives us the ingredients of the mission entrusted to us. He gives us the example of discipleship found in John the Beloved, the ideal disciple. We are called to be the Beloved too, sharing in an intimacy with Jesus in a life of prayer, close to the Sacraments.
Blood and water sprayed over Our Lady and John at the piercing with the lance. Jesus’ very life poured over the original disciples, the blood of the Eucharist and water of Baptism. John was told to Behold his mother, the Mother of all of us who are His disciples. Mary beholds us to help in the mission given to us.
All of this happens at the Cross, which is part of our life as disciple. We are never to despair in our discipleship when we turn to the Mother given to us. Jesus breathed our the Holy Spirit from the Cross to strengthen and direct us In our discipleship. So for us the Cross represents hope, closeness to God with our crosses. It also challenges to put fear aside as we go forward as true disciple of Jesus.