Mary Loves Us Still Despite the Way We Treated Her Son!

“Thank God Jesus’ Mother doesn’t carry a grudge,” remarked my nephew, Stephen. “Why is that?” I asked. “Just look at what we did to Jesus!” he responded. “We never said thanks to Jesus when he suffered and died to save us, without costing us anything. That was just a crummy way to show our gratitude.”

Isn’t this a wise insight from a teenager? Yet, given what we did to Jesus through negligence and sin, Mary doesn’t look at us with a heart full of anger or revenge. In fact, every follower of her son feels free to go to her with trust and confidence.

While Mary did grieve at what our sinfulness did to her Son, she also hears Jesus’ words from the cross: “Woman, behold your son.” When Mary looked at John standing next to her, she heard: “Behold all your children.” At that moment, Mary taught us how to forgive and heal.

Now, as our mother, Mary yearns for our salvation and still appeals to her son on our behalf. As we respond to her love, we more easily live Jesus and become her son’s faithful disciples. As St. Francis de Sales wrote:

“Holy Mother of God. . .you gave your Son a mother’s love that echoed the love the Father has for Him from all eternity.”