Mary at the Foot of the Cross and the Mystery of Charity
Faith can be either alive or dead. Faith is more than a list of things we believe in, or a list of what we can and cannot do. Our lives must be lived according to the Good News of the scriptures.
Jesus gives us the model for how to live out our faith. Jesus did many things on this earth, but three areas stand out: he taught, he healed, and he prayed. He gave his entire life to the mission given to him by the Father. Jesus offered his body on the Cross as a sacrifice for our sins. Mary stood by him through the last moments of his life. She entered into his sacrifice, offering everything she had to God. Her love for God brought her to love Jesus, and her love for Jesus on the Cross brought her to love the Apostles and the entire Church.
Which Apostles were at the Foot of the Cross with Mary? Only John was at the foot of the Cross with Mary. It is interesting to note that John is also the only Apostle who was not martyred for the faith.
When we love someone, we feel bad when we do something that hurts that person and we try to make up for what we did wrong. Our relationship with God is the same. When we sin, we offend God; and when we repent, we wish to make up for our sins through works of charity. Charity is loving as God loves. The root of all sin is a lack of love. We must work hard to love as God loves, and Mary can help us learn to love God more as she did at the foot of the Cross.
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said that it was not so important to do great things, but to do ordinary things with great love.
Daily Practice this week
This week we offer up some small sacrifice at least three times each day. Examples include:
- Reduce the amount of time spent watching TV, reading frivolous things, or surfing the Internet.
- Do not add sugar to your coffee or tea.
- Take a less than hot shower.
- Wake up and get out of bed immediately when the alarm first goes off.
Daily Prayer this week
The Memorare
The daily prayer is included in the Day 1 Meditation Page
Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta