Uniting Our Suffering with Christ through Mary (II)

To the world, it was a strange idea that the Son of God would become a baby. Yet, Mary welcomed Jesus when she carried Him in her womb during the mystery of the Incarnation. This act of divine acceptance challenged human reason, yet this stranger whom Mary welcomed was the Son of God, the Savior of the world. On the Cross, Jesus, adorned with disfiguring wounds, became a stranger covered in blood, bearing the sins of humanity. In this moment, Mary once again welcomed this stranger, staying at His feet, praying, and uniting her suffering with His. We, too, welcome Jesus in our hearts in the Eucharist. Jesus in the Eucharist is a stranger in the eyes of non-believers, yet in His very own words: This is my Body… This is my Blood… In our own suffering, when we are united with Christ, especially through the Eucharist, we become strangers to the world and our former lives, yet Mary welcomes us into her compassionate embrace.

Just as Mary swaddled Jesus when He was born naked, she also covered His naked body with reverent tears after being taken down from the Cross. She enshrouded His holy body with the burial cloth. When we are sick, and when we unite ourselves with the Passion of Christ, our lack of health, so to speak, our nakedness is covered by the spiritual merits of the suffering of Jesus and Mary.

In Jesus’ affliction, depicted as a leper cast out on Calvary, Mary faithfully stood at the foot of the Cross, caring for Him. His body, covered from head to toe with cruel wounds like a leper, bore the weight of our sins. As we unite our own sufferings with Christ, Mary intercedes for us with her prayers. She presents our suffering, united with His Passion, to God the Father, seeking atonement for our sins and those of the entire world.

After enduring torture and mockery, Jesus carried His cross to Calvary where He was crucified between two criminals (Luke 23:26-43). His body was then laid in a tomb guarded by soldiers for three days before rising again in resurrection victory (Matthew 27:62-66).

During those times of unjust imprisonment and confinement in death’s dark tomb, Mary prayed unceasingly for Him, never wavering in her hope and belief in His resurrection.

Similarly, when we face moments of physical confinement and imprisonment due to illness, when our bod-les are limited in their movements, Mary comes to comfort us. Through her constant prayers and unwavering faith in the resurrection of her Son, she bestows upon us the grace to persevere. She intercedes for us to obtain the gifts of the Holy Spirit which guide us on our journey. These invaluable blessings through Mary sustain us as we seek to attain Heaven and eternally experience the Beatific Vision of the Holy Trinity. Just as she prayed unceasingly for Jesus in His times of trial, she prays for us in our illnesses and distresses. Her faith remains our anchor, and her graces propel us toward our heavenly home.

United with Christ and comforted by Mary, we can find meaning and grace in our suffering. As we hold tight to the rosary in our hands and meditate on the mysteries of the rosary in our minds, we open ourselves to the graces that flow from walking more closely with Jesus and Mary in our sickness.

Elie Dib

Source (adapted) catholicexchange.com

Note: This article was originally featured in Missio Immaculatae Volume 19/No. 5, September/October 2023 under the pen name of Elio P. Mio. Missio Immaculatae is a bimonthly Marian catechetical-missionary magazine of the Academy of the Immaculate. (https://missiomagazine.com/)