Just after my son was born, we celebrated our first Christmas as a family. That year, we traveled to my husband's hometown and found ourselves in an unfamiliar church to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Without the normal church music responsibilities, I found myself clearly focused in a new way on Christmas - focused on what Mary must have felt on that holiest of nights. What was her childbirth like? Did Mary feel the hand of God through her labor as I had felt Her in mine? Did Mary have the loving breastfeeding relationship with her child that I had with mine? Looking into my sons eyes that night, I remember feeling more passion, more love, more emotion than I had ever known. Surely Mary had that experience, too.
My son is now seven and despite the new outlook on Christmas I had not made the shift with Jesus' death until tonight. For the first time, I focused on Mary's thoughts and emotions as she watched her son accused, beaten, tortured, mocked, hung, as she watched him breath his last. My heart hurt at the very thought! I wept.
Did you know that Mary was there at the foot of the cross when her son died? His siblings had abandoned him, his followers had abandoned him, but Mary did not. In fact, of the few folks who stayed with Jesus until the end, all but one were women. There are few roles for women in the Bible, but perhaps this role is the most important. She stayed!
Samuel Barber wrote a beautiful piece which helps us see the crucifixion through Mary's eyes. We were privileged to hear one of our very talented voices sing this piece tonight. Here are Barber's words:
At the cry of the first bird
They began to crucify Thee, O Swan!
Never shall lament cease because of that.
It was like the parting of day from night.
Ah, sore was the suffering borne
By the body of Mary's Son,
But sorer still to Him was the grief
Which for His sake
Came upon His Mother.
