Family Faith Reflections from Chris

This month, I’m honoring the Month of Mary by revisiting the Gospel stories about the Blessed Mother. Today, Mother’s Day, it seems fitting to look at a few of them through her eyes.
 
In Luke 2, the Holy Family travels to Jerusalem, and the child Jesus (then 12 years old) becomes separated from Joseph and Mary. Three days they seek him in Jerusalem before he is returned to her.
 
In Luke 4, she loses him again. Now an adult, Jesus walks away from his ordinary life and wanders the wilderness for 40 days, facing and prevailing against Satan. This time, Jesus comes to her; like any hungry young man would do, Jesus shows up at his mother’s house. Before long, though, his claims of divine purpose have drawn the ridicule and the ire of his neighbors in Nazareth. They chase him out of town, and for the third time Mary is separated from her son.
 
Mark’s Gospel tells a sadder story. In chapter 3, Jesus begins speaking out against Israel’s corrupt leaders:   “When his relatives heard of this they set out to seize him, saying, ‘He is out of his mind!’” (3:21). Mary leads a team of relatives to warn him, but Jesus refuses to see her. In this story, she has sought and found him — only to lose him again. (He probably did this to protect her from retaliation, but that’s little comfort to her!)
 
Ultimately, her concern proved true. The leaders struck against him. The crowds that clamored for his affection turned against him. The disciples abandoned him. The Son of God carried his cross to Golgotha alone.
 
And the mother who had once searched through the streets of Jerusalem for her missing child now found him there on a cross. She stayed until he was taken from her one last time. A lifetime of sacrifice did not break her faith in the Son of God or her loyalty to her child.
 
Now that’s impressive. Surely, a woman who could go through so much for her child and never falter for a moment deserves special respect! Truly, she has earned her title: the Blessed Mother.