This Easter, the first without my mother who passed away last year, has me more grateful than ever for the blessing of Christ’s Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. I felt the same way several years ago on the Easter following my father’s passing. I am so thankful to God that this life is not the end. But boy do I miss them both. More than I ever imagined I would.
Lately, I’ve been thinking about Mary’s experience losing Jesus and what she was thinking in the days after. All the biblical accounts clearly describe her agony at witnessing his crucifixion. Michelangelo’s Pieta captured the sorrow she endured as Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross and laid in her arms. Was the pain of her loss any less because of her role as the Mother of God? Did knowing the future plan, based on what she was told at the Annunciation about Jesus’ role in the salvation of man, make it any easier for her?
What did she feel once Jesus had ascended into Heaven? He did so in her presence so surely this was a glorious moment. (Note: The Ascension into Heaven is the second of the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary.) But it must also have been so very difficult for Mary, as she realized she would not see him again until her own life ended.
According to “The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary,” a book that details the visions of the Venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich, Mary lived between 13 and 14 years after Christ’s Ascension. The publisher explained the margin for error on the exact date was due to some who estimated the date using a partial year in their calculations. The consensus is that Mary was 64 years old when she died.
The book is a fascinating compilation of conversations between Clemens Brentano and Sister Emmerich in which Brentano had recorded the nun’s descriptions of her many mystic visions. He died in 1842 before completing and publishing the work, but his brother and then his brother’s wife took the project to completion. I would recommend the book.
Sister Emmerich, in a vision, was told she had the ability to see the past, present and future and that her gift was the greatest of anyone who ever lived that had mystic abilities. She described, according to Brentano’s transcriptions, the simple and peaceful life, albeit a pained life, of the Blessed Mother after Jesus’s death.
St. John built a home for Mary in the country, near Ephesus, where she lived with her maidservant. Mary, according to Sister Emmerich, had created her own “Way of the Cross” on the hill behind her home, and each day walked it, praying at each station and tearfully recalling the Lord’s Passion.
About a year and a half before her passing, Mary traveled with the apostles to visit the holy places in Jerusalem. Sister Emmerich told Brentano, “She (Mary) was inexpressibly sorrowful, constantly sighing, ‘Oh my son, my son.’”
I have to wonder, with the tremendous grief she suffered, if Mary ever doubted the significance of what had occurred, and could she even imagine what was still to take place – namely her own Assumption and Crowning as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
To be honest, I had to put down the book and take a break. It was overwhelming while reading about the mystic’s visions. They are recorded in such great detail I could almost feel the anguish Our Lady endured for so many years after the death of Jesus.
Her grief, her pain and her suffering were real. Her many “sorrows” began shortly after the birth of Jesus when Simeon foretold that her soul would be pierced, and they continued until her own death. I can only imagine the heavenly reunion between Mary and Jesus when they were finally together again.
I am hoping to bring more knowledge about the Virgin Mary to the world, especially during these times when we need her most. Please consider sharing this post, this site, or its social media pages on Facebook and Instagram. I invite you to subscribe to this site (below) to be notified of new posts. Thank you.
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