Jesus' Farewell to His Most Holy Mother
(Holy Thursday, before the Last Supper)
by Father Charles Irvin, M.Div, J.D.
This is the only hour not mentioned in the New Testament. But for sure, Jesus
took time to give the most tender farewell to His Mother.
The last time Jesus was going to see His
Mother alone on earth. Both of them knew the hour was coming to pay for the
sin of the world, for yours and mine, the hour of His death and
glorification.
 Before giving start to His Passion,
Jesus goes to His Mother to ask for
her blessing. Not many words, just love mingled
with sorrow and joy. Jesus embraces
His Mother, and she embraces
Him … two hearts in love, giving themselves
all the way to save souls … and, as usual, He asks for
her blessing … "Yes, I bless You, my
Son"… and Jesus blesses His Mother
: "Thank you, mother, I bless you!" … the most intimate and
dear blessings in the history of the human race. In this act
Jesus teaches us obedience, not only external but also interior, which we must have in order to
reciprocate the inspirations of grace. Sometimes we are not ready to put into practice a
good inspiration, either because we are held back by love-of-self or
by temptation, or in order not to undertake any sufferings
on ourselves.
But rejecting the good inspiration of exercising a
virtue, of accomplishing a virtuous act, of doing a good
work, or of practicing a devotion, makes the Lord withdraw from us,
depriving us of new inspirations. On the other hand, the
prompt obedience, pious and prudent, to holy
inspirations attracts more blessings and graces upon us.
In the cases of doubt, one should turn promptly and with righteous
intention to the great means of Prayer, and to upright and experienced advice. In this way, the
good-God will enlighten the soul to execute the
healthy inspiration, increasing it for her greater benefit.
We must do our actions, our acts, our Prayers, the Hours of
the Passion, with the same intentions of Jesus, in His Will,
sacrificing ourselves as He did, for the glory of
the Father and for the good of souls.
We must place ourselves in the disposition of sacrificing ourselves in everything
for love of our adorable Jesus, conforming to His Spirit,
operating with His own sentiments, and abandoning ourselves in Him, not only in all
the external sufferings and adversities, but much more in all that He
will dispose in our "interior". In this way, at any time, we will find ourselves ready to
accept any suffering. By doing this, we will give sweet
"sips"
to our Jesus. And if we do all this in the Will of God which contains all the
sweetness and all the contentment in immense proportion, we will give to
Jesus large sweet "sips", so as to
mitigate the poisoning which other creatures cause Him, and to
console His Divine Heart.
Before undertaking any action, let us always invoke the blessing of God,
so that our actions may have the touch of the Divinity, and may attract His blessings not only on us,
but upon all creatures.
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Immediately after His Resurrection (depicted in the background of this painting from the Staatliche Museen,
Berlin, by Rogier van der Weyden )
Jesus first appears triumphant to His loving mother, after His victory over Satan
, Sin
and Death.
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