Meditation for March 14, Stabat

At the foot of the cross, Mary stands erect. What an attitude of firmness, of peace, of simplicity, of dignity, of submission!

Of Firmness. Mary does not hide, she remains steadfast. She does not run away, she stands. She does not seek, as one discon­solate, for human support. She finds her strength in God; entirely abandoned to Him, she perseveres.

Of Peace. No cries, no demonstration. Hers is an immense sorrow, but an interior sorrow which reflects something of the serenity of God - poignant but peaceful.

Of Simplicity. Nothing for the world. She suffers, that is all, giving no heed to where she is or who she is. Her Beloved is close by, suffering on the gibbet; that is all that matters.

Of Submission. It was expedient that Christ suffer. It was expedient also that His mother suffer the horror of Calvary. She neither keeps back anything, nor takes back anything. He has delivered Himself up because He has willed it. She too delivered herself up because she willed it. Ecce. Fiat. Ancilla.

"How far am I from displaying such qualities in sorrow? 'Mother Sorrowful I wish to study you carefully, that I may better reproduce, when I suffer, the spirit of your Stabat.'"

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Adapted from Meditations for Religious
by Father Raoul Plus, S.J. (© 1939, Frederick Pustet Co.)