THE FOURTH STATION: Jesus Encounters His Mother

And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary …“You yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

—Luke 2:34–35

What must Mary have been thinking, standing there in the midst of suffering, looking at her son? What pain must have been in her heart? What doubt? And yet we know that she followed Christ until the end and beyond, being present to his friends, comforting them in their fear, encouraging them as the young Church grew. Mary’s desire to love and serve God overcame the suffering she encountered.

How appropriate, then, that we are invited to consider the life of Hongkham, a mother in Laos who makes sacrifices for her children. Here, too, we see a woman motivated by the suffering of her family to act for the greater good. Not only does her love of cooking mean the difference between hunger and full bellies for her family, it also means children from the wider community won’t go to bed hungry, either.

How do we respond to the suffering of others, whether in our immediate family or in our global one? Let us look to Mary and the example she sets for us as she meets Christ carrying the cross.