Do
not be surprised, brothers, that Mary is said to be a martyr in
spirit. Let him be surprised who does not remember the words of Paul,
that one of the greatest crimes of the Gentiles was that they were
without love. That was far from the heart of Mary; let it be far from
her servants.
Perhaps
someone will say: “Had she not known before that he would not die?”
Undoubtedly. “Did she not expect him to rise again at once?”
Surely. “And still she grieved over her crucified Son?”
Intensely.
Who
are you and what is the source of your wisdom that you are more
surprised at the compassion of Mary than at the passion of Mary’s
Son? For if he could die in body, could she not die with him in
spirit? He died in body through a love greater than anyone had known.
She died in spirit through a love unlike any other since his.
– Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux from
a sermon on
the Martyrdom of Mary at the foot of the Cross
Saint
Bernard of Clairvaux's patronage:
Cistercians; Cistercian Order; Burgundy, France;
beekeepers; bees; candlemakers; chandlers; Gibraltar, Spain;
Algeciras; Queens' College, Cambridge; Speyer Cathedral; Knights
Templar; wax-melters; and wax refiners
