WOMAN, HERE IS YOUR SON (John 19:26-27)   One of the most touching and significant scenes of the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ is the one that describes His Mother witnessing the execution of her beloved Son standing by the cross. Mary, His Mother, remained close to the Lord, keeping Him company, and caring for Him, following His steps and teachings. And there was also Mary, His Mother’s sister, Cleophas’s wife, Mary Magdalene, and His beloved Disciple John. Mary, Jesus’ mother, along with the other women and John, the Disciple, witnessed Jesus’ Martyrdom. Which, of course, caused a huge pain in their hearts. Mary must have remembered another scenario when taking the child Jesus in her arms to present Him at the Temple; a righteous and compassionate man, Simeon, guided by the Holy Spirit, gave Him his blessing and told Mary “this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:34-35). The prophecy was fulfilled on Good Friday and Mary then had her heart pierced by pain as sharp as any sword. In a moment filled with pain, misunderstanding and betrayal, from atop the Cross, Jesus sweetly and prophetically said to His Mother “woman, here is your Son! And rounding out that message of Love, construed by many as His last will, Jesus says to His beloved Disciple "son, there is your Mother!” As a witness to the immortal Love of the Son to His Mother and the Love of the Mother to her Son the great artist Michelangelo was inspired to create one of the most beautiful artworks in history, the Pieta. A marble sculpture depicting the dead body of Jesus draped across the Virgin Mary’s lap. In May, we celebrate mothers, the Love only a woman can give. The Virgin Mary is the greatest model of Love to God the Father, her Son Jesus Christ, her husband, St. Joseph, and to His people. Today, I want to respectfully honor all mothers around the world. Let us not forget that even during His most painful moments on the Cross, the Lord continues to behold His Mother’s suffering face and uses His last words to say “woman, here is your son!” With these brief words, Jesus wanted to comfort His mother by telling her that John, His beloved Disciple, was there with her and asking her to accept John as her son. And reciprocally, He looked at John, His faithful and beloved Apostle, and said “son, here is your Mother!” Since then, the Church has recognized and welcomed Mary, Jesus’ Mother, as Our Mother. As represented in John, an Apostle of the Church, we are all Mary’s children by extension. A mother is happy when her children are fine but suffers when they are not. As a kid, I remember the first things I…