Truly,
O blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your heart. For only by passing
through your heart could the sword enter the flesh of your Son.
Indeed, after your Jesus - who belongs to everyone, but is especially
yours - gave up his life, the cruel spear, which was not withheld
from his lifeless body, tore open his side. Clearly it did not touch
his soul and could not harm him, but it did pierce your heart. For
surely his soul was no longer there, but yours could not be torn
away. Thus the violence of sorrow has cut through your heart, and we
rightly call you more than martyr, since the effect of compassion in
you has gone beyond the endurance of physical suffering.
Or
were those words, Woman, behold your Son, not more than a word to
you, truly piercing your heart, cutting through to the division
between soul and spirit? What an exchange! John is given to you in
place of Jesus, the servant in place of the Lord, the disciple in
place of the master; the son of Zebedee replaces the Son of God, a
mere man replaces God himself. How could these words not pierce your
most loving heart, when the mere remembrance of them breaks ours,
hearts of iron and stone though they are!
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.
--
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux from
a sermon
