Mary and the Cross

One of St. Marcellin's favorite suggestions was that Marists should seek the first places at the crib, cross and altar. During these weeks of Passiontide, let us focus on the cross. Naturally, we see Jesus, a man "despised and rejected by others; /a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;/ and as one from whom others hide their faces,/ he was despised and we held him of no account," (Is 53: 3). At the foot of the cross we find Mary Magdalene, John, and Mary, our Good Mother. We could look upon them as the first Marists: staying with, accompanying their "least favored", "most rejected and neglected," Jesus. Powerful. Mary, especially felt her helplessness, and a deep desire to either take his place on the cross, or at least be set up on another next to him. She had complete and total empathy with the flesh of her flesh and bone of her bone. It struck me this morning that this is the attitude which prompted St. Marcellin to forge our mission to the "most neglected." If we see them as Jesus, and ourselves as Mary, then we will do all in our power to remain with them, help them, bear their frustrations and pain lovingly, willingly, sometimes seeing results, sometimes not, but never abandoning them.

Yesterday, after writing Bro. Rene's Daily Bread, I read an e-mail from a former student at Bishop Donahue High School, where I was principal from 2000-2005. This young teenager was going through some tough times, academically and behaviorly, was always in detention and had several suspensions. The faculty would have been glad to see him expelled. By the grace of God I was able to see beyond this into the goodness in his heart, listened, gently prodded, and kept him in prayer. He graduated in 2005 and I came here to Central, but kept him in my daily prayers. After five years of silence, he wrote that he had "grown up", straightened out, and was now an Air Traffic Controller in the US Navy. He thanked me for the respect, care, "mentoring" and love that I had given him. It certainly was a "Marcellin Moment" for me, and a confirmation of our Marist Mission, NEVER to give up on the "despised and rejected." As Mary never "gave up" being with her "rejected" son, and followed him to the tomb, let us follow her example and exprience with here the joy of the resurrection of her sons and daughters whom we are being called to serve.
Bro. Rene