Bronze Mary

Having walked the labyrinth in front of the Santa Fe Basilica amidst tourists and teenagers, who either failed to see me walking it or even realize they were standing in a sacred path, I wandered around back in search of the rose garden, when I noticed a small sign for a Stations of the Cross garden that I never realized was there. Taking a brochure from the plastic bin, I figured out where to begin, setting out to focus and breathe in hopes of more solace.

When I reached the rendering of Jesus meeting his mother Mary along the journey carrying the cross, the question that flooded my mind was whether Mary knew all along that this would happen and how would one bear that as a mother?

Jesus knew what awaited him it would seem, but did he let her know? Would her son spare her feelings? Or would he confide in the person who had loved him on Earth and given him life? How could she possibly resolve herself to that path for her son? How could she wake up each day knowing that was coming? Or was she a true believer, who saw this coming and knew of its power in a way that so few others could comprehend?

How did Jesus face the anguish of leaving her behind? Yes, there was all that stuff about leaving your mother and father, but honestly, that just doesn’t seem like something that Jesus would totally buy into.