Mary: Mother of Jesus

appeared to give her guidance. However, Mary's influence appeared in Jesus' teachings when His public life began. He valued family life and had rich memories of His childhood in Nazareth.

Jesus stayed with His family until He was thirty. Mary must have sensed that the years of having Jesus with her were at an end. His teachings of God's Word caused Him to be rejected by His own people. As it would with any mother, His rejection caused Mary great sorrow. It was as if a sword had pierced her heart.

Mary's only role in Jesus' ministry was that of believer. She remained at a distance, receiving news of Jesus' miracles from others. Mary soon realized her Son had powerful enemies, who wished to destroy Him.

When Jesus and His disciples went to Jerusalem for Passover, Mary followed Him. She knew He was in great danger and, like all mothers, wished to protect Him if possible.

How did Mary survive the tragic days when they arrested and crucified Jesus? She probably stood beside the road as Jesus passed by, carrying the Cross, with a crown of thorns digging into His scalp. When His disciples fled, she stood quietly by watching the prophecies being fulfilled. She must have felt an overpowering sense of helplessness as they nailed her Son to the Cross. She knelt at the foot of the Cross as He hung dying. She took His body in her arms when they took it from the Cross. We can only imagine the horror she must have felt. Not only because her Son was dead, but because of the torture and pain inflicted upon Him.

Mary's cries of grief turned into cries of joy when she realized that His promise of rising from the dead had been fulfilled. She waited with the Apostles for the Holy Spirit. She had a special place among His followers. From the Cross, Jesus had given her His Church as a mother for all ages.

After Jesus' death, Mary is not mentioned. Therefore, we do not know the circumstances of her death. She may have lived with the Apostle John. She may have died in Jerusalem. Another tradition places her in the City of Ephesus at the time of her death. Wherever she died, it is apparent she was reunited with her Son. Her faith never faltered through all of her burdens and sorrows. She is a great woman of

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