Page:Beautifulpearlso00oreirich.djvu/188

 from His  mouth,  and  they  said:  Is  not  this  the  son  of  Joseph? And He  said  to  them:  Doubtless  you  will  say  to  Me  this  similitude, 'Physician,  heal  thyself:'  as  great  things  as  we  have  heard [that you  have]  done  in  Capharnaum,  do  also  here  in  Thy  own country."

This is  the  same  challenge  to  perform  miracles  before  their  eyes, which the  Jews  made  to  Him  in  Jerusalem. The speakers  are  animated only  by  a  mixture  of  curiosity  and  envy. The well-attested miracles performed  in  their  immediate  neighborhood,  at  Cana,  as well  as  in  the  city  of  Capharnaum,  together  with  those  which  heralded His  return  to  Galilee,  should  have  disposed  His  own  townsmen to  listen  to  that  "wisdom,"  and  to  bow  to  the  authority  of Him  who  challenged  their  belief  in  Him,  as  the  Messiah  described in Isaias. And then  comes  the  sudden  ending  of  His  work  in  their midst.

" Amen,  I  say  to  you,  that  no  prophet  is  accepted  in  his  own country.  In  truth  I  say  to  you,  there  were  many  widows  in  the days  of  Elias  in  Israel,  when  Heaven  was  shut  up  three  years  and six  months,  when  there  was  a  great  famine  throughout  all  the  earth. And  to  none  of  them  was  Elias  sent,  but  to  Sarepta  of  Sidon,  to  a widow  woman.  And  there  were  many  lepers  in  Israel  in  the  time of  Eliseus  the  prophet;  and  none  of  them  was  cleansed  but  Naaman the  Syrian.  And  all  they  in  the  synagogue,  hearing  these  things, were  filled  with  anger.  And  they  rose  up  and  thrust  Him  out  of the  city;  and  they  brought  Him  to  the  brow  of  the  hill  whereon their  city  was  built,  that  they  might  cast  Him  down  headlong. But  He,  passing  through  the  midst  of  them,  went  His  way." (S. Luke iv.)

The Blessed  Mother  was  a  witness  of  all  this  scene. Need we describe  her  agony  of  apprehension,  while  the  blind  and  sacrilegious crowd  dragged  their  Messiah  to  the  cruel  death  they  wished to inflict? or her  grief  at  seeing  her  own  people  rejecting  the Saviour, and  closing  to  themselves  every  road  to  salvation?

From Nazareth  our  Lord  directed  His  steps  to  Capharnaum, where His  Mother  and  His  disciples  soon  joined  Him. There He recruited  His  apostles,  Mary,  meanwhile,  finding  a  velcome  in  the family of  her  "sister"  or  near  kinswoman,  Mary  the  wife  of Zebedee,  whose  two  sons,  James  and  John,  attached  themselves  to our  Lord.

How far  Christ  permitted,  during  His  repeated  missionary  circuits through  Galilee  and  its  "hundred  cities,"  His  Mother  to  accompany Him,  we  cannot  say  from  the  Gospel  narrative  or  from tradition. We know  that  a  band  of  devoted  Galilean  women  ministered to  His  wants  and  those  of  His  disciples  during  the  three years of  His  public  life. It would  be  against  all  probability  to  suppose that  His  Blessed  Mother  should  have  had  no  share  in  these ministrations.

At any  rate,  she  must  have  been  with  Him  in  Jerusalem  during the celebration  of  the  second  Pasch,  mentioned  by  S.  John  (v. 1-47). After this  occurred  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  the  healing of the  Centurion's  servant,  and  the  resurrection  of  the  widow's  son at Naim,  as  well  as  Christ's  second  circuit  of  Galilee. The hatred of His  enemies,  the  scribes  and  Pharisees,  was  becoming  daily  more open, and  more  threatening. Rumors circulated  of  serious  peril to the  Master's  safety. John the  Baptist  had  already  been  imprisoned by  Herod  Antipas,  brother  of  Archelaus,  and  tetrarch  of  Galilee. So the  Blessed  Mother,  alarmed  by  these  flying  rumors,  hastened with  some  of  her  kinsfolk  to  the  scene  of  our  Lord's  preaching. Then happened  that  incident  from  which  non-Catholic readers of  the  Gospel  draw  an  inference  most  injurious  to  Christ and to  His  Mother. The multitudes  that  surrounded  Him  night and day,  and  the  demands  upon  His  time,  were  such  that  He  had not even  leisure  "to  eat  bread." " And  it  was  told  Him:  Thy Mother  and  Thy  brethren  stand  without,  desiring  to  see  Thee. Who,  answering,  said  to  them.  My  Mother  and  My  brethren  are they  who  hear  the  word  of  God,  and  do  it." We know,  by  His taking His  Mother  with  Him  to  Capharnaum,  after  the  Miracle  of Cana,  and  by  His  appearing  in  the  synagogue  at  Nazareth,  pro claiming Himself  the  Messiah,  without  denying  that  Mary  was  His Mother — how far  it  was  from  the  mind  of  our  Lord,  by  word  or  act, to deny  or  to  slight  His  Mother  and  her  relatives. This would  not be the  act  of  a  dutiful  and  loving  son. But He  was  on  His  Messianic work;  and  He  would  have  all  understand,  that  its  freedom and dignity  required  of  all  engaged  in  it  to  be  above  the  cares  and claims of  family  or  relationship;  just  as  elsewhere  He  says  to  the young man  called  to  follow  Him,  and  asking  to  go  home  and  bury his father,  "Allow  the  dead  to  bury  their  dead."

It is  in  the  last  stage  of  His  mortal  career  that  we  shall  find  His Mother by  His  side. She had  heard  of  His  utterance  about  His approaching death:  "  Behold  we  go  up  to  Jerusalem;  and  all things  shall  be  accomplished  which  were  written  by  the  prophets concerning  the  Son  of  Man.  For  He  shall  be  delivered  to  the Gentiles,  and  shall  be  mocked,  and  scourged,  and  spit  up)on." Every  mother's  heart  is  prophetic  of  coming  sorrow:  how  much more  so  the  Mother  to  whom  Simeon  had  foretold  suffering  unutterable, incomprehensible?

She is  not  mentioned  as  having  been  present  during  His  triumphant  entry  into  Jerusalem;  although  it  is  most  unlikely  that  she would not,  with  the  pious  women  from  Galilee  and  His  other  devoted disciples,  have  joined  Him  on  His  way  to  the  capital  on  this last visit. But if  Mary  was  anxious  to  shun  the  pageants  in  her  Son's honor,  she  would  be  present  when  the  hour  of  humiliation  came.

We are  never  to  forget  that,  in  our  Lord's  Passion,  the  Godhead personally and  inseparably  united  to  our  humanity  in  His  Person, eclipsed Itself,  as  it  were,  and  allowed  the  Man,  as  man,  to  suffer, to expiate,  to  atone  for  His  brethren  of  the  entire  race  of  Adam. It was  only  at  the  supreme  moment  of  desolation  and  agony  that the Son  was  to  be  visibly  sustained  by  His  Mother. Tradition affirms, and  the  Church  authorizes  the  tradition,  that,  on  His  way to Calvary,  He  met  His  Mother,  as  if  she  could  not  be  withheld from acknowledging  as  her  own  Son,  -the  Man  of  Sorrows  whom they have  been  scourging,  crowning  with  thorns,  condemning,  like the most  abominable  of  criminals,  to  be  crucified  between  two  men, who were  thieves  and  murderers.

During the  memorable  passage  through  the  Red  Sea,  Moses  had by his  side  Mary,  the  Deliverer,  his  heroic  sister,  the  Mother  of her  people. When Jesus,  the  true  Moses,  was  treading  the  streets of Jerusalem,  bearing  a  portion  of,  at  least. His own  cross,  when the multitude,  athirst  for  His  blood,  divided  on  His  way,  mocking, deriding, cursing;  His  Mother,  that  Mary  who  is  mother  to  us  all, walked by  His  side,  setting  her  foot  firmly  in  every  depth  of  shame and bitterness  to  which  He  had  to  descend.

And there  she  stands  beneath  the  Cross  on  Calvary! "Now there stood  by  the  Cross  of  Jesus,  His  Mother  and  His  Mother's sister  Mary  [wife]  of  Cleophas,  and  Mary  Magdalen.  When  Jesus therefore  had  seen  His  Mother  and  the  disciples  standing,  whom He  loved,  He  said  to  His  Mother,  Woman,  behold  thy  son.  After that  He  saith  to  the  disciple:  Behold  thy  Mother.  And  from  that hour  the  disciple  took  her  to  his  own." Solicitude for  her  welfare is uppermost  in  the  mind  of  the  Divine  Sufferer. Let us  read  in