2022/03/14

30. The Three Marys

The four Gospels each tell the last words of Jesus on the cross. However, examining their contents, we notice that these words can be arranged in chronological order as follows: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46; Mark 15:34) → "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46) → "It is finished" (John 19:30). It is as if the authors had written their Gospels with an arrangement towards the event, "It is finished." On the cross, Jesus was waiting for the Father to draw the parties to formalise the new covenant¹ he had presented to the Apostles the night before because no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws him.² Amid his suffering, Jesus' pleading cry, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" is superseded by the words, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit", like when Jesus had prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Soon, the people, drawn by the Father, gathered by the cross. Individuals identifiable here are Mary, the mother of Jesus, Mary, the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene and the "beloved disciple."³ This disciple is John the Apostle, judging from other accounts in the Gospels. Jesus tied Mary, his mother, and John the Apostle, standing by the cross, by a parent-child bond. And from that hour, John the Apostle took Jesus' mother into his home. This action made the Apostle the legitimate heir to the authority of Jesus’ mother, who had undertaken the Mystery of the Incarnation.⁴ The other two Marys, who witnessed the whole course of the events, became witnesses to this fact. At the same time, together with Jesus’ mother and the Apostle, they bore witness to the Mystery of the Cross being finished. "It is finished" signifies the conclusion of the new covenant and the fulfilment of the prophecy.⁵ The Mystery of the Incarnation brought about the Holy Family with Mary's consent and by Joseph's taking her into his home. The Mystery of the Cross brought the "my church" (Matthew 16:18) into being with the consent of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and by the Apostle’s taking her into his home from that hour. Because the name of the Apostle is concealed here, we can say that the "my church" was born as the three Marys. The blood and water that flowed from Jesus' side fell on them, purifying them and becoming the sign by which danger would pass over them.⁶ The Holy Spirit would descend upon the "my church" thus protected.

Reference: 1. Matthew 26:28, Mark 14:24, Luke 22:20, 2. John 6:44, 3. John 19:25-26, 4. this blog #18, 5. Jeremiah 31:31-34, 6. Exodus 12:1-7

Maria K. M.