Originally published at The Catholic Thing
The third word from the cross reveals the feminine and maternal dimension of the mystery of salvation. Our Blessed Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows, is present at the foot of the cross and addressed by her Son, Jesus, hanging before her eyes. He calls her “woman,” and it reminds us of that passage from the second chapter of St. John’s Gospel. The third word comes from John 19. But in John 2, we’re told that there’s a wedding at Cana and the mother of Jesus was invited. And because she was invited, Jesus and his disciples also went along.
