Marys Story

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Marys Story

• The Passion and Death of Her Son

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(No Transcript)
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Unbelievable!

• It is simply amazing that this is the only
  reference to Mary from the beginning of our
  Lords passion through his death

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Marys Disappearance

• Are we to believe that Mary just suddenly
  appeared on Calvary?
• Where was she during the
• The last supper
• The agony
• The trials with Annas, Caiphas, Pilate, Herod
• The scourging and crowning
• The carrying of the cross

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The Mystics

• The Life of Mary As Seen by the Mystics.compiled
  by Raphael Brown
• Sister Anne Catherine Emerich
• Venerable Mother Mary of Jesus of Agreda
• St. Elizabeth of Schoenau
• St. Bridget of Sweden

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Where Was Mary?

• It is inconceivable and improbable that Mary did
  not know what was going on with her son only to
  show up on Calvary with the Apostle John
• In reality, she probably followed his every
  movement, his every step and this corresponds
  exactly with the revelations of the mystics in
  fact, she actually performed the first Stations
  of the Cross

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Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?

• The Gospels were written many years following the
  death of our Lord - The majority of New Testament
  scholars still date Mark's gospel shortly before
  or shortly after AD 70, Matthew and Luke roughly
  80-90, and John close to the end of the first
  century
• If we are to believe the scriptural text, the
  only apostle present during the crucifixion was
  John and Mary

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The Emphasis

• Since they had no first-hand knowledge, is it
  possible that Mary inspired their writings
  since she was actually present at her sons
  passion and death, she could relate the story to
  the gospel writers
• Her emphasis would indeed be upon her sons
  death, and not upon herself
• Could this be why there are no other references
  to Mary in the passion-writings?

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The First Stations

• Lets walk with Mary as she followed her Son
  during his last hours leading up to the
  crucifixion
• In the following slides, these moments are
  chronicled by visions given to the mystics you
  can believe them or not but I do believe Mary
  was not insignificant in the passion drama I
  believe she lived and died every moment with
  her Son

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Bonded In Communion

• Mary accompanied Jesus from Bethany (after the
  raising of Lazarus) to Jerusalem
• While Jesus was dining with his disciples in the
  upper room (the Last Supper), Mary was nearby in
  another room with other holy women
• Mary requested to share in the most blessed
  sacrament of His body and blood and Jesus agreed
  to this secretly

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John Commissioned

• During the last supper, while John was resting
  his head on our Lords bosom, Jesus privately
  commissioned John to take charge of Mary after
  the Passion

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The Angel Messenger

• At the climax of the consecration, in the
  presence of God the Father and God the Holy
  Spirit, Jesus took a particle of the consecrated
  bread and gave it to the invisible archangel,
  Gabriel who then brought it to Mary without
  anyone else being aware of this solemn event
• Mary gave abundant thanks to God for this
  wonderful gift

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The Final Farewell

• As Jesus was about to leave the Cenacle with the
  apostles (on the way to the garden), Mary rose
  and met him at the door.
• Magdalen and another women begged Jesus not to go
  for they had heard of a plot to capture and
  arrest Jesus that night in the garden he
  comforted them
• He came face-to-face with his sorrowful mother,
  who threw herself at his feet and worshipped him

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The Will of God

• With the love of a son, the Lord said to her, My
  Mother, I shall be with you in tribulation. Let
  us accomplish the will of the Eternal Father and
  the salvation of men.
• Then, after a final farewell and blessing, he
  stepped past her and set out for the garden

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United in Agony

• Just as Jesus shared his holy Communion with his
  mother, by special favor (and by Marys request),
  she was able to see everything that happened to
  her divine son during his passion

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Synergy in Prayer

• She united the prayers and sacrifices of her
  Immaculate Heart to those of His Sacred Heart
• Throughout His passion, our Lord derived almost
  His only consolation from the love and holiness
  of His mother

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The Vision of Betrayal

• While Jesus was on his way to the garden, the
  Blessed Virgin went to the house of Mary Mark
  with Magdalen and several of the Holy women. On
  the way they met Lazarus, Nicodemus, and Joseph
  of Arimathea all reported knowing no immediate
  plot against our Lord
• But Mary had seen the sudden departure of Judas
  from the Cenacle and had witnessed in vision
  the plotting of Judas and the Pharisees

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Her Blessed Request

• As Jesus began his agony in the garden, Mary
  retired to a private room and begged the Eternal
  Father that she might be allowed to feel all the
  physical and spiritual pain and torture which her
  son was about to undergo
• The Holy Trinity granted her prayer

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A Powerful Ally

• Mary continued to be united with her son during
  his agony in the garden
• Along with her son, she continued to pray for
• His apostles Jesus especially asked them to
  look after Mary following his death and
  resurrection. Mary and Jesus both prayed that
  they would find strength in each other after His
  death and that they would not despair
• Judas for his conversion
• The soldiers who arrested Jesus her
  intercessions for the soldiers who were thrown to
  the ground upon first confronting Jesus helped to
  convert all of them (after Jesus death, they all
  became Christians)

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Shared Pain

• When Jesus was arrested and bound, Mary (through
  the grace of God) felt
• On her wrists the same pains caused by the ropes
  and chains on her sons flesh
• The blows and kicks and falls which he suffered
  while being dragged to the palace of the high
  priest

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On the Trail

• As Jesus was being dragged from the garden,
  through the gates and streets of Orphel, and up
  the treacherous steps to Zion, Mary and the other
  women went outside to find out what was going on
  with Jesus
• They were able to watch the procession from a
  distance

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Women of the Night

• They ducked inside dark alleys to avoid the
  crowds and the enemies of Jesus
• Oftentimes, as these ruthless enemies walked by,
  they cursed Mary and her friends, calling them
  women of bad character
• More than once they heard men curse and slander
  her son

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Information Sharing

• Mary and the other holy women went to the house
  of Lazarus sister, Martha, in the western part
  of the city
• They met John who told them all that had happened
  since Jesus had left the Cenacle
• They consoled each other, while various
  messengers continued to come and go with more
  discouraging news

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John, the Messenger

• Jesus was now on trial before Caiphas and John,
  having departed Marthas house, gained admittance
  into the judgment hall hearing Caiphas declare
  that Jesus deserved to die
• Johns eyes met those of Jesus Lord, you know
  why I am leaving, his eyes said and he
  hastened to Marthas house nearby to break this
  sad news to the Blessed Virgin

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The Magdalen Hysteria

• All throughout the passion and death, Mary was
  able to find some peace in knowing why Jesus was
  being put to death
• But Mary Magdalen was not so calm. Of all the
  holy women following the footsteps of our Lord to
  Calvary, she was the most hysterical and
  overwhelmed with grief

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The Holy Procession

• Since Marthas house was so close to the palace
  of the high priest, Mary and the other women
  insisted that John lead them to the judgment hall
  at once
• Again, they were frequently insulted by the
  enemies of Jesus

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The Labors of Insult

• Near the palace of Caiphas, they had to pass by a
  yard where some cursing laborers were hammering
  away to prepare the wood that would make up the
  cross of the newly condemned Jesus
• Though they were preparing this instrument of
  death for her own son, and though her heart was
  grieving in pain, she prayed for these wretched
  men

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In the Outer Court

• John conducted the women to a corner of the outer
  court of the judgment hall.
• Mary knew her son was just on the other side of
  the closed door, and she longed so much to be
  with him

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Repentance for Peter

• Mary saw (in a vision) how Peter had denied Jesus
  three times
• She wept and prayed fervently for him, and her
  prayers gave Peter almost immediate repentance
• At that moment, a door opened and Peter came
  running out weeping bitterly

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The Guilt of Denial

• Mary said to Peter, O Simon, what about my Son?
  What about Jesus?
• Peter conscience was so filled with remorse, he
  could not bear the look Mary gave him
• His answer was, Mother, do not speak to me!
  Your Son is suffering cruelly. They have
  condemned Him to death and I have shamefully
  denied Him three times! Peter than ran off to a
  cave on Mount Olivet in shame.

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A Mothers Grief

• Upon hearing Peters words, she sank onto the
  stone pavement
• Then wishing to get closer to Jesus, she arose
  and John led her to a spot where she could hear
  the sighs of Jesus and the insults and blows that
  he was enduring

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Such Callous Words!

• Some men came out of the palace and upon seeing
  Mary exclaimed, Isnt that the Galileans
  mother? Her son will certainly be crucified,
  though not until after the festival unless he
  is really the greatest of criminals!

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Jailed!

• Jesus was now dragged to a filthy underground
  prison cell to spend the hours until dawn
• Mary and the holy women returned to Marthas home

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To Pilate

• At sunrise, Caiphas sent Jesus to Pilate
• Though John tried to dissuade Mary from following
  Jesus because it would break her heart to see
  him so defiled and disfigured (and practically
  unrecognizable) but Mary insisted on seeing
  Jesus again, so they set off in that direction

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Is this my Son?

• Mary caught up to the procession and saw her son
  staggering along, bound and chained, covered with
  bruises and saliva, continually jerked forward
  and sideways by the ropes held by his merciless
  guards
• He remained a meek and silent victim as insults
  poured down upon him from both sides of the
  street..and most especially from the guards and
  archers leading him.Mary gasped, Is this my
  son? O Jesus, my Jesus!

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Tears of Blood

• Watching from a corner of the forum, Mary was
  able to view the first Roman trial.
• She saw the furious hatred her sons enemies
  displayed as they attacked him and mercilessly
  sought his death.
• She held her mantle before her face and quietly
  wept tears of blood

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The Herod Treks

• Mary followed the processions to and from Herods
  palace
• All the while, she prayed that Jesus would not be
  tripped and thrown to the ground and trampled upon

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At the Pillar

• Jesus was finally condemned by Pilate, was
  stripped, and attached to the pillar
• He turned his head towards his mother and their
  eyes met, and it seemed as though his eyes said
  to her, O my mother, turn your eyes from Me!
• At that, she fainted into the arms of her
  companions

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The Scourging

• Mary witnessed three successive pairs of cursing
  Egyptian slaves mercilessly scourge the skin from
  her sons body
• They were armed with hard cords, thorny branches,
  and chains equipped with sharp iron hooks

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Communion of Pain

• Mary was united with Jesus in his torture
  through divine grace, she was able to experience
  the same torture as He did
• Occasionally, she would utter a moan or cry, but
  like her son did not complain but offered her
  suffering up for mankinds sin of sensuality

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Marys Words to St. Bridget

• At the first blow (of the scourging), I fell as
  if dead, and on recovering my senses, I beheld
  his body bruised and beaten to the very ribs, so
  that his ribs could be seen

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Such Precious Blood

• Following the scourging, Jesus was led into the
  praetorium for his crowning
• In order to see his mother, Jesus had to wipe the
  blood from his eyesshe gazed at him and his
  blood-stained footprints as he walked by
• Mary (with the help of Magdalen) knelt down at
  the base of the scourging pillar and wiped up as
  much as her sons blood as she could

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Crowning and Conviction

• Mary was able to witness the crowning through a
  vision
• Jesus was then brought before Pilate and
  eventually sentenced to death by crucifixion
• Mary was able to remain calm and assisted John
  and the accompanying women who were extremely
  upset with the course of events

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The Procession

• Turning to John, she asked, should I stay here
  (and watch her son carrying his cross)? Oh, how
  can I bear it? John answered, if you do not
  stay, you will always bitterly regret it.
• When one of the executioners discovered that Mary
  was his mother, he mockingly shook the nails for
  the cross in her face

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A Loving Meeting

• He was sinking under the cross when Mary saw
  Jesus his head was drooping in agony on his
  shoulder
• His bloody, deep-sunken eyes met his mothers
  eyes utterly exhausted, he fell onto his hands
  and knees under the cross
• Mary rushed through the crowd, forgetting the
  soldiers and executioners, and kneeling beside
  Jesus, embraced him lovingly and tenderly

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Another Rebuke

• One of the executioners (talking to Mary)
  emphatically stated, if you had brought him up
  better, he would not be here now.
• Some of the Roman soldiers were deeply touched
  and conducted Mary to one side
• As Jesus staggered on toward Calvary, Mary almost
  fainted against a stone near the doorway, two
  disciples assisted her

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Words to St. Bridget of Sweden

• As my Son was going to the place of his passion,
  some men struck him on the back and others hit
  him in the face. And he was struck so violently
  and so brutally that although I did not see the
  person striking him, I distinctly heard the
  sounds of the blows

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The Nailing

• He was ordered to take off his robe and did so
• Having been ordered to do so, he lay on his back
  upon the cross and stretched out first his right
  arm. Then his cruel executioners seized him.
• First they attached his right hand to the beam,
  in which a nail hole had been prepared and they
  drove the nail through his hand in the part where
  the bone was firmest

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Again the Stretching

• His left hand did not reach the hole that had
  been prepared his executioners, using ropes,
  stretched his left hand out and nailed down in
  the same manner as the right
• Next they nailed his right foot and over it the
  left, so that all the nerves and veins were torn
  apart and broken

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Re-Crowning

• Then they replaced on his holy head the crown of
  thorns which caused such deep wounds that his
  blood streamed down, filling his eyes and his
  ears and matting his whole beard
• In order to see me from the cross, he had to
  press the blood away from his eyes by contracting
  his lids and brows

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Simeons Haunting Words

• and you yourself shall be pierced with a
  sword..Luke 235