(…) The Hour of the Passion, the greatest of all loves and Jesus’ total gift of himself, is also Mary’s Hour. In this Hour Mary is intimately associated to the sacrifice of her Son, as she stands at the foot of the cross. She is not, as we sometimes represent her, crushed and collapsing on the ground. She is standing up, because she intensely participated in her Son’s sacrifice as he gave up his life and his blood.
In the suffering of her heart, Mary offered up the life of her Son as the same time as he did. This is what Simeon had predicted to Mary at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple: “A sword of suffering will pierce your soul”(Lk 2: 35). At the same time that the soldier's lance pierced Jesus' heart to release all mercy and forgiveness, a bitter sword pierced Mary's soul.
Mary is so closely united to the sacrifice of her Son. It is the first meaning of this passage from the Gospel, the mystery referred to as Mary's compassion. We have Jesus’ Passion on one hand, and Mary's compassion on the other. Compassion means: “suffering with.”
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