Never really thought about the "behold," but I like breaking it down like this.

Thanks for sharing it.

Excellent commentary bringing in how Our Lord's gesture in entrusting His Blessed Mother to the disciple's care is actually a lesson Jesus gives us on how to keep the 4th Commandment...it's the duty of children to take care of their parents.

A couple of things that speak to the dignity of women and their important role in salvation history. V.25 mentions 2 other women also standing by the Cross, The Blessed VIrgin's sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magealene. Whereas the Apostles, except St.John, abandon Jesus in the hour of His humiliation, these pious women who had followed Him through His public life stay with their Master as He dies on the Cross. What a good lesson this is for us to see these women who stood by Him even to His very death and beyond. Isn't this just about the most noble position of women to stand beside and give to men the strength to battle and aid them to the end?

The Catholic Church also teaches that Our Lord's words also declare that Mary is our Mother. The BLessed Virgin also advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross, where she stood in keeping with the DIvine Plan, enduring with Him the intensity of His Suffering, associating herself with His sacrifice in her mother's heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim who was born of her. She was given by Christ dying on the Cross as a mother to His disciple, John.

All Christians, who are represented in the person of John, are children of Mary. By giving us His Mother to be our Mother, Christ demonstrates His love for His own to the end. St.John 13:1. Our Lady's acceptance of John as her son shows her motherly care for us: "The Son of God, and your SOn, from the Cross, indicated a man to you, Mary, and said, "Behold, your son." St.John 19:26. And in that man, He entrusted to you every person to you. And you, who at the moment of the Annunciation, concentrated the whole program of your life in those simple words, "BEHOLD, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." St.Luke 1:38. In the same wonderful way the Blessed VIrgin Mary is ever present in the mystery of Christ, she is present to all of us, children of God and brothers and sisters in the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.

The Catholic Church also teaches that Our Lord's words also declare that Mary is our Mother. The BLessed Virgin also advanced in her pilgrimage of faith and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son unto the Cross

I'm not saying this Lula. Are you thinking I am? I believe the scriptures teach the opposite. It was separation not union that was going on there. He was separating from his mother. I believe the teaching you speak of is not true to scripture. It is true that it's a CC teaching. Did you know it comes from the "Octobri Mense" Encylical of Pope Leo XIII on Sept 22, 1891?

Everything you said sounded wonderful Lula, but it's not scripture based. You just quoted almost word for word Catechism 964 which came out of Leo's Encylical of 1891.

This is not what the early church taught.

Never really thought about the "behold," but I like breaking it down like this. Thanks for sharing it.

I also like to break it down like this. I love to go back into the real meaning of the words to get a clearer understanding. It's quite amazing some of the things one finds out when you do the research. Next week it's going to be....."My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?"

Ah, that one I am def looking forward to reading.

I find those words, at times, reassuring, scary, and heart breaking.

No.

I understand that you don't think Jesus at that moment gave us His most Blessed Mother in terms of universally being our spiritual mother.

Did you get in your time machine and go back and ask?

As a person who claims Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior, I find this almost strange coming from you because we are forever supposed to be in union with Jesus in all things; thought, word and action. At that moment, she was more united with Him than ever. The same is certainly true of His Blessed Mother Mary. Yes, He was dying and the natural consequence of physical death is physical separation from our loved ones and we all will go through that. Do you honestly think that "separation" was the only lesson coming from the Cross when He said,"Behold, thy mother"?



As to whether it's true to Scripture or not amounts to how one interprets this particular incident in view of the whole of the Gospels regarding Jesus' life and teachings. Interpreting Jesus' words at that moment as a separation thing seems to be a myopic view.

How is the CC teaching that the Blessed Mother is the mother of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, that I speak of "untrue" to Scripture? It certainly doesn't contradict Scripture. So how is it untrue?

Actually, I didn't know that teaching came from Pope Leo XIII's encyclical. I know that St. Augustine wrote of it, and I was quoting from Lumen gentium, 58, a Vatican II document which in turn references St. Augustine's writings.

How is the CC teaching that the Blessed Mother is the mother of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, that I speak of "untrue" to Scripture?

It doesn't say it anywhere. You are reading that into scripture using this one and only verse. You are adding this to the scripture. She is a member of the body of Christ, yes, but not the Mother of us all. That's false teaching.

It certainly doesn't contradict Scripture

well it does. The 1891 Octobri Mese where this all comes from says you CANNOT get to Jesus but thru his mother. That's heresy. Jesus made it clear that we all have direct access to him. The veil of the curtain ripping from top to bottom was a big part of this teaching. We no longer had to go thru the priests as they had in the Old Covenant. We now in the New Covenant have direct access to God. We didn't switch from priest to Mary. No, this is false teaching as far as biblical teaching goes. This is glorifying the creattion instead of the creator. It doesn't make any sense.

The Vatican II document you said you used is a toned down version of this. They did tone it down but not entirely. Once the CC comes out with a teaching like this it never goes away. It just kind of disappears or gets toned down. The Octoberi Mense said very clearly that Mary is an intermediary. Scripture quite clearly says in Timothy...."There is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ." There is no mediator nor is there any mother of us all. This is a clear contradiction of scripture.

In fact in Galatians (I believe) it says, that Jerusalem is the Mother of Us all." If it can say that, why not say Mary is the Mother of us all?

If no man can come to God but thru Mary as the CC teaches, why didn't any of the Apostles write about this? Paul wrote all about Salvation in the book of Romans. He went into much detail. Not once did he write that we need to go thru Mary. Heck, not once did he even mention her. Did Paul not tell them the truth? Peter never wrote about her, nor did James, or Jude. If so important, wouldn't they be harping on this as the CC does?

Ah, that one I am def looking forward to reading.

me too, I'll take care to take extra good notes for ya!!

KFC POSTS: The 1891 Octobri Mese where this all comes from says you CANNOT get to Jesus but thru his mother.

Could you send the link of the 1891 Octobri Mese or at least the quotation of it that says, "you CANNOT get to Jesus but thru his mother."


I asked "How is the CC teaching that the Blessed Mother is the mother of the members of the Mystical Body of Christ, that I speak of "untrue" to Scripture?"

KFC POSTS: It doesn't say it anywhere.


But it does say it in Scripture...."Behold, your mother." I've been relating how the Church interprets this particular verse as having dual meanings. Just before He died, Jesus gave St.John the privileged position of caring for His Blessed Mother. The Church teaches at that moment, He also gives her to us, the Church. The beloved disciple stands for all those who will follow Christ and who in the Apostle John receive Mary as their Mother. Here, the Church interprets our Lord's words as having a deeper meaning than just the physical caring of Mary by St.John. The Church interprets the Gospel as contemplating Mary's motherhood in all its fullness, aware that she is the mother of not only the Divine Head of the Church but also the spiritual mother of all members of Christ's Mystical Body. From this we see how closely united the Blessed Mother is to Jesus and with His announcenment that she is the mother of the disciple, shows that now her motherhood attains full measure and she is made spriritual mother of all believers.

KFC POSTS: You are reading that into scripture using this one and only verse. You are adding this to the scripture.
I've given the Church's interpretion of Scripture and referenced two other passages from St.John in support. Protestants rely on their own private interpretation of Scripture. Other than the reason that the BIble doesn't say it in so many exact words, what's your beef with Jesus act of devotion having a more transcentental meaning---Mary's spritual motherhood to all the Church? It certainly doesn't interfere with having direct access to Jesus.


KFC POSTS: The veil of the curtain ripping from top to bottom was a big part of this teaching. We no longer had to go thru the priests as they had in the Old Covenant. We now in the New Covenant have direct access to God. We didn't switch from priest to Mary. No, this is false teaching as far as biblical teaching goes. This is glorifying the creattion instead of the creator. It doesn't make any sense.


I have never known a Catholic or anyone who "glorifies" the Blessed Mother Mary, nor confuse her position of Mother to all given to us by Jesus with the priesthood.



KFC POSTS: Scripture quite clearly says in Timothy...."There is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus Christ." There is no mediator nor is there any mother of us all. This is a clear contradiction of scripture.


Christ is the one principal Mediator to whom we owe all. While the BLessed Mother's work was to mediate for us together with Christ, it was always, in subordination to Him. This association of the BVM with the redemptive work of Christ shouldn't disturb anyone. If all Christians are members of Christ, and are called upon as St.Paul says, "to fill up what is wanting to the suffering of Christ" , then you can be sure that as Mary, His Mother, was more closely associated with Christ than we are, so she is more closely associated with His redemptive work.

We call her, "Our life, our sweetness and our hope." In bringing forth Christ, she brought us forth life, she is a model of every virtue as she is "full of grace", and above all should be the model of all women. She is our hope as Eve was our despair. All this tells us what she is for...our spiritual mother in heaven and she fulfills the duties of a Mother, winning for us by her intercession that grace of Christ which is life to our souls and which, please God, will mean eternal life in the end.

Christ can choose to dispense His mediation through secondary agents. Christ delegated His power to priests and as the One Mediator, acts through many channels. St.Paul wrote to the Corinthians, "Let a man so account of us as of the ministers of Christ, and the dispensers of the mysteries of God. 1Cor.4:1. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we read that the priest "ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins." v.3. This cannot refer to Christ who certainly had not to offer for His own sins.

The priesthood is a form of secondary mediation appointed by Christ. To ignore His provision for the Chruch is to ignore Him. We have direct access to Christ. We unite ourselves to Him directly through prayer at any time at any place. Remember too, that Christ identifies Himself with His Chruch and meant what He said when He declared of her, "He who hears you, hears me." That implies the doctrine, He who comes to you, comes to me. In fact, when Saul was persecuting the CHruch, Christ appeared to him and said, NOT, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou the Church, " but "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"


So, it is Catholic doctrine that there is One Mediator between God and man---and that is our Lord, Jesus Christ who Redeemed us. Because Christ is the One mediater, we have to accept whatever method He appoints for the exercise of His mediation. He chose to dispense the benefits of His mediation through the Church He founded.

exactly Lula. The scriptures don't teach this. The church does. That's all I'm saying.



It's not supported anywhere. You have to take that one text and read into it. If it were supported by the Apostles elswhere you'd have some weight but it's totally not supported. It also reeks very strongly of the Queen of Heaven Worship in Elijah's day and the pagan worship of goddesses druing the Greco Roman times.

This is what the Catechism of the CC says (directly contradicts scripture) on the Octobri Mense of Pope Leo XIII and there is no mistake.

Item 4

(5) With equal truth may it be also affirmed that, by the will of God, Mary is the INTERMEDIARY through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ. (6) Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, SO NO MAN GOETH TO CHRIST BUT BY HIS MOTHER."

Item 13

"saluting Mary, invoking Mary, hoping EVERYTHING through Mary. Through her may all the faithful strive to obtain from her Divine Son...."

22nd day of September 1891.


You can find this on the Vatican Holy See sight. I have it in paper form but it came from there if you want to find it not having the direct link.

LULAPILGRIM POSTS: what's your beef with Jesus act of devotion having a more transcentental meaning---Mary's spiritual motherhood to all the Church? It certainly doesn't interfere with having direct access to Jesus.


KFC POSTS: It's not supported anywhere. You have to take that one text and read into it. If it were supported by the Apostles elswhere you'd have some weight but it's totally not supported.

Well, KFC, I have to disagree with you that it is not supported anywhere by the Apostles. It seems this verse of St. John 19: 25-27 "Behold, your mother" is coming down to a matter of interpretation. Those who rely on private interpretation interpret this scene with St.John, His beloved disciple and Jesus' words only in the literal sense while the Church interprets these in a dual sense---literally and "symbolically", meaning she is our Mother in the order of grace. The Church intepretates this verse as such based on the support of other parts of the Gospel of St.John, e.g. in light of the Cana story in Ch.2, the presence of the mother of Jesus and the mention of the "hour". And of the upper room in Ch.13, with the presence of the beloved disciple; St.John and the 'hour'. Here in 19: 25-27, we see the beloved disciple, the mother of Jesus, and the "hour" for the 3rd time. Now that the "hour" has come, the Mother of Christ is given a role as the Mother of Christians (personified by the beloved disciple).




LULAPILGRIM POSTS: The Church teaches at that moment, He also gives her to us, the Church.

KFC POSTS: exactly Lula. The scriptures don't teach this. The church does. That's all I'm saying.


You are correct, the Scriptures don't teach Mary's motherhood of all the Chruch explicitly, in that, it doesn't say it right out in so many words. The Church teaches that the Blessed Virgin is a mother to us in the order of grace based on St.John 19:25, those other supportive passages of his as well as on Sacred (oral) Tradition.

Once all the writings of the Church Fathers, the Pope's encyclicals, the Council documents and other various homilies and sermons are put together, the simple explanation of the Chruch's position on the Blessed Virgin Mary as our spiritual Mother would be: When she freely accepted the privilege of the Divine Maternity, Mary gave us Christ. To her absolutely free consent, we owe not only the physical Christ, but the Mystical Christ as well. The Incarnation of the Second Person of the BLessed Trinity took place dependent upon her consent. That consent was ratified as she stood beneath the Cross. She provided the High Priest and the Victim for the Sacrifice offered on Calvary and throughout His life she was perfectly confirmed and in agreement.

hey Lula, ya know I love ya right? I want to preface that before I tell you how screwy this interpretation sounds....not that I'm not familiar with it. You're basing it all on symbolism. That's the problem. You can make it be anything you chose.



really? Hmmmm Jesus was clear that he CAME from the Father. He always gave credit to the Father for his incarnation. Mary can create life? No, everything we have here on this earth, including Christ is because it was given us by God the Father.



nonesense. God is dependent on the actions of created human beings?????????

Read JOB.

I don't think so.



ok, let me re write this for you...you wrote too much here....

"The scriptures don't teach Mary's motherhood of all the Church explicitly. (Period)"

Let's leave it where God meant it to be. Mary was blessed. She was full of Grace. She was chosen to be the bearer of the Son of God. What a blessing bestowed on her. But that's it. It goes no further than that. That's why the NT writers did not write about her outside the gospels.

KFC POSTS: hey Lula, ya know I love ya right? I want to preface that before I tell you how screwy this interpretation sounds....not that I'm not familiar with it. You're basing it all on symbolism. That's the problem. You can make it be anything you chose.



Yes, KFC, and I love you too....and that always goes without saying. From the get-go, you know I'm Catholic and I know you're a Fundamentalist Bible-only Christian and we both know that we’ll say things that will raise one another's eyebrows (and I hope not blood pressure) now and then. So given that, let's discuss.

It has to be one of the strangest things in the world that so many Christians who believe in Jesus with all their hearts think so little of the Mother of the Son of God. Quite frankly, I don’t think it’s really a question about the BVMary, but more about questioning the validity of Sacred Tradition and the authority of the Church.

Honestly, KFC, I was astounded that you came back citing interpretion of St.John 19 based on symbolism and making it anything that I choose.

This is coming from you who claims the Bible alone is your criteria of Divine Truth. Just a while ago, YOU were the one calling Christ's words "symbolic" and making of them what you chose to make them. Remember that? You said that Christ was speaking in figurative language, that He really didn't mean what He said when He told the Jews present in the synagogue at Carpharnum that He was the "Bread of Life."

Here’s the passage. "I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the desert, and have died. This is the Bread that comes down from heaven, so that if anyone eat of it he will not die. I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone eat of this bread, he shall live forever! and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world.” St.John 6:48-52.

"And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "take and eat; THIS IS MY BODY". and taking the cup, he gave thanks and gave it to them saying, "all of you drink of this, FOR THIS IS MY BLOOD" St.Matt. 26:26-28; St.Mark 14:22-24; St.Luke 22:19-20.

What further proof do you need that Jesus literally meant what He said? The Bible could not be more explicit. The CC declares these passages as literal and has come to the most realistic conclusion: Jesus Christ is God and therefore He has the power to change bread and wine into His flesh and blood on the altar without effecting the change in the appearance of the transformed bread and wine. Jesus promised that He would do just that so that His faithful could receive His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity into themselves for their sanctification. Only the CChurch can give the true and living Christ in Holy Communion and therefore during the consecration on the altar, His promise has been and is still being kept. I believe in the Bible and what Christ expects all of His faithful followers to believe.


I'm not the one interpreting Scripture. Just as the Ethiopian eunuch relied on the Church (in St.Philip) in understanding the Scripture, I rely on the Church’s guidance and teaching. Here, on St.John 19:25-27, the Church interprets this passage as having dual meanings which I’ve already described and gave Biblical support for that as well.


I said that Mary gave us Christ.

KFC POSTS: really? Hmmmm Jesus was clear that he CAME from the Father. He always gave credit to the Father for his incarnation. Mary can create life? No, everything we have here on this earth, including Christ is because it was given us by God the Father.

Unfortunately, KFC, you protest too much. You are demonstrating either that you do not understand or do not accept the Incarnation of Jesus in its fullest sense. It’s almost a bit of Nestorianism coming from you. That is, you refuse to honor Mary as Theotokos, the God bearer. You say that Jesus Christ is God, but avoid referring to the Virgin as the Mother of God. Isn't this really what's at the heart of your objection. What person was born of Mary? A Divine Person who took on human nature. Could God do that? Yes, of course He could and He did do that. Jesus is God and He was born of Mary. The one born of Mary “shall be called the Son of God” St.Luke 1:35 and “God SENT his son, made of a woman.” Gal. 4:4.

Yes, the Blessed Virgin Mary gave birth to Jesus. He was "made of a woman" and comes from her seed Gen. 3:15. This is the only time in the Bible we see “her” seed. Our common understanding of the word “seed” means from a man.

KFC POSTS: Hmmmm Jesus was clear that he CAME from the Father.

No, Jesus was clear that He was SENT by the Father.

We know Jesus did wonderful things, yet even He wasn’t ever a model of a disciple. The first and best model of a disciple is the one who said and lived “Yes” to God spontaneously and without the necessity of getting knocked off a horse and blinded. We’ve been discussing faith. Ever think of obedience of faith? The Church calls the act of hearing God’s Word and taking it to heart the obedience of faith. Rom.1:5; 16:26. There is a connection in Greek and Latin between the word “obedience” and the verb meaning to “hear” or “listen”.

There is also a connection between effectively hearing God’s word and obedience of faith. St.Paul emphasizes faith comes from hearing the word of God and Jesus also stresses that merely hearing His words but not acting on them is as futile as building a house on sand. He calls His followers to build on rock ---to hear His words and put them into practice. St.Luke 6:46-49. That is obedience of faith.

The BVMary’s obedience of faith is anticipated in her being “full of grace”. By a singular gift of God she was preserved from the stain of Original Sin. She completely and freely entrusted herself to God and consented in faith to become the Mother of the Redeemer. She then faithfully devoted the rest of her life as the “handmaid of the Lord” to the Person and saving work of her Son. St.Luke 1:38. She was in a very real sense a disciple of Jesus. The BVMary’s obedience of faith wasn’t a one time occurrence, rather a pilgrimage that constantly called her to “empty herself” , to give of herself, in imitation of her divine Son. St.John 15:13; Phil. 2:5-7. In the Presentation of the Temple, she learned that her beloved Son would be opposed in fulfilling His mission and also that a sword would pierce her through her own soul. StLuke 2:34. There was no mistaking that her obedience of faith would involve great suffering.Heb.5:8.

This she continues to do right through the agony of watching her Son die. This is why the Church, like the Gospels, has always called Mary our Mother. So the BVMary’s motherhood didn’t end with the bearing of the Son of God. Nor did it end with Jesus’ death on the Cross for Jesus entrusted Mary’s motherhood to St.John, the beloved disciple and by extension, to the entire Church. Jesus gave us His mother and she never tires of telling us to “do whatever Jesus tells us.” May we have “ears to hear” such motherly counsel.

KFC POSTS: This is what the Catechism of the CC says (directly contradicts scripture) on the Octobri Mense of Pope Leo XIII and there is no mistake.

Item 4
(5) With equal truth may it be also affirmed that, by the will of God, Mary is the INTERMEDIARY through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ. (6) Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, SO NO MAN GOETH TO CHRIST BUT BY HIS MOTHER."
Item 13
"saluting Mary, invoking Mary, hoping EVERYTHING through Mary. Through her may all the faithful strive to obtain from her Divine Son...." 22nd day of September 1891.


Thanks KFC, for pointing out Pope Leo’s encyclical. Paragraph 4 refers to the Marian doctrines of Mary as the Mediatrix and as the Mother of the Church. Paragraph 4 in its entirety is at the end of this post for reference. Let me try to explain what the Pope means and how it doesn't directly contradict Scripture.

I imagine that you capitalized those parts because you think Catholics put the BVMary of par with her Son and this denies/contradicts/diminishes Christ’s role as the One Mediator. But this is simply not the case. Catholics believe what 2Cor.5:19 tells us...that Christ alone is the Perfect Mediator of God and men, in as much as, by His death, He reconciled the human race to God...


However, St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that “nothing hinders certain others from being called mediators between God and man, forasmuch as they cooperate in uniting men to God, dispositively or ministerially.” We, (you and I) mediate for others when we pray on their behalf. This doesn’t argue against Christ being the sole Mediator because our modest efforts are entirely dependent upon Him. So, in a far more perfect way than us, the BVMary shares in His mediation and that’s what this all means. She freely cooperated with God’s plan St.Luke 1:38, “Be it done to me according to thy word” and the Church based on St. Thomas’ teaching that at that moment of the Annunciation, at the key moment for the human race she represented the whole of humanity. The Church Fathers contrast the BVMary’s obedience of faith which was perfectly free, with Eve’s disobedience.


KFC POSTS: exactly Lula. The scriptures don't teach this. The church does. That's all I'm saying.

As a practical matter, I know from reading about people who have converted from Fundamentalism that the Marian doctrines are the hardest and last ones they accept. This is because they are accepted on the authority of the Church rather than on their own authority of Scriptural interpretation. All I’m saying is I know you are always looking for Biblical citation and, in this case if you take the effort, you will come to see that there is, in the least, nothing that contradicts Christ’s role as the one Mediator. His role is not lessened because she has been allowed to assist Him.

You have not shown that the Church directly contradicts Scriptures when she interprets St.John 19:26, "Woman behold thy son, son behold thy mother", as St.John being the representative of the human race, and the BVMary becoming the spiritual mother.

Paragraph 4. But since the salvation of our race was accomplished by the mystery of the Cross, and since the Church, dispenser of that salvation after the triumph of Christ, was founded upon earth and instituted, Providence established a new order for a new people. The consideration of the Divine counsels is united to the great sentiment of religion. The Eternal Son of God, about to take upon Him our nature for the saving and ennobling of man, and about to consummate thus a mystical union between Himself and all mankind, did not accomplish His design without adding there the free consent of the elect Mother, who represented in some sort all human kind, according to the illustrious and just opinion of St. Thomas, who says that the Annunciation was effected with the consent of the Virgin standing in the place of humanity.(5) With equal truth may it be also affirmed that, by the will of God, Mary is the intermediary through whom is distributed unto us this immense treasure of mercies gathered by God, for mercy and truth were created by Jesus Christ.(6) Thus as no man goeth to the Father but by the Son, so no man goeth to Christ but by His Mother. How great are the goodness and mercy revealed in this design of God! What a correspondence with the frailty of man! We believe in the infinite goodness of the Most High, and we rejoice in it; we believe also in His justice and we fear it. We adore the beloved Saviour, lavish of His blood and of His life; we dread the inexorable Judge. Thus do those whose actions have disturbed their consciences need an intercessor mighty in favour with God, merciful enough not to reject the cause of the desperate, merciful enough to lift up again towards hope in the divine mercy the afflicted and the broken down. Mary is this glorious intermediary; she is the mighty Mother of the Almighty; but-what is still sweeter - she is gentle, extreme in tenderness, of a limitless loving-kindness. As such God gave her to us. Having chosen her for the Mother of His only begotten Son, He taught her all a mother's feeling that breathes nothing but pardon and love. Such Christ desired she should be, for He consented to be subject to Mary and to obey her as a son a mother. Such He proclaimed her from the cross when he entrusted to her care and love the whole of the race of man in the person of His disciple John. Such, finally, she proves herself by her courage in gathering in the heritage of the enormous labours of her Son, and in accepting the charge of her maternal duties towards us all.