The Way of the Cross and Mary: the mother along the road to Calvary
The Way of the Cross and Mary, the mother along the road to Calvary
The Way of the Cross (or Stations of the Cross) is the prayer that recalls the steps of Jesus from His condemnation to His burial. The presence of Mary along this way, especially at the 4th, 8th and 13th stations, is a fundamental element of the devotion that developed in the Middle Ages and was systematized by the Franciscans of Jerusalem.
Mary in the stations
Although the four Gospels do not describe a formal encounter of Mary with Jesus during the way to Calvary, pious tradition, based on Jn 19:25, includes that encounter in the 4th station. The 13th station, Jesus in the arms of Mary, is the theme of the Pietà, one of the most profound Marian images of Christian art.
The Stabat Mater
The Stabat Mater (The Mother was standing) is par excellence the hymn that accompanies the meditation of the Way of the Cross. Attributed to Jacopone da Todi (13th century), it describes the compassionate sorrow of Mary beside the Cross, inviting the faithful to share in that redemptive suffering.
Mary Co-Redemptrix
The theology of the Sorrows of Mary and of her co-redemption has its principal scriptural foundation in the scenes of Calvary. Jn 19:25-27, where Jesus entrusts Mary to John and John to Mary, is interpreted as the constitution of Mary as the spiritual Mother of all humanity.
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Magisterium of the Church
Maria, quae sub Cruce stabat et cum Filio suo in passione compatiens, peculiari modo huic exercitationi pietatis adiungitur.
Paulus VI, Exh. Ap. Marialis Cultus, n. 7 (2 februarii 1974)
📚 Literal translation: Mary, who stood beside the Cross and suffered with her Son in the passion, is joined in a particular way to this exercise of piety.
Stabant autem iuxta crucem Iesu mater eius…
Joannes 19:25 (Vulgate)
📚 Literal translation: And there stood beside the cross of Jesus His mother…
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