As a little girl, I went on a field trip to a local San Antonio art museum. One of my clearest memories is from the exhibit about death that we were shown. I suppose someone thought that us kids might find this room fascinating, since there was even a real mummy included. I, however, thought the mummy was creepy and weird.
Turning away from the mummy, I suddenly found myself faced with a huge painting—larger than my elementary student height—of the crucified Christ: bloody, rent with scourges, body hanging, face twisted in utter agony as darkness surrounded him. Out of my mouth came a terrified yell, and for the next several minutes I cried while clinging to my father’s shoulder.
Perhaps it sounds silly, but that experience in that museum was so traumatic that I spent the next couple decades of life training myself to not walk around museums in a state of fear about what I would see next.
Imagine if you or I were actually present at the cross of Jesus. What horrors would we have seen, smelled, and heard? Now, imagine if that utterly disfigured body belonged to your only child. What impact would that experience have on a person?
The traditional image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a heart surrounded by a crown of roses and pierced by a sword. Why? When Mary and Joseph, following the Jewish custom, presented their son at the Jerusalem Temple, a man named Simeon prophesied that this child would be,
“destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” To the child’s mother, he said, “and you yourself a sword will pierce” (Luke 2:34-35).
I often think about how this Presentation of Jesus in the Temple is called one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. If a complete stranger held your child and told you all of the above, would you have walked away joyfully?
In fact, every single one of the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary involves immense challenges. In the first, teenaged Mary accepts the difficult and potentially dangerous role of mother while she is not yet living with the man to whom she is betrothed. In the second Mystery, a pregnant Mary takes a long journey—about a hundred miles from Nazareth—to see her cousin Elizabeth, who is an elderly, pregnant woman! In the third Mystery, Mary gives birth in a stable. The fourth Mystery we already discussed; the Presentation in the Temple. In the fifth Joyful Mystery, Mary and Joseph find their child in the Temple after losing him and searching for him for three days!
If you ever thought you couldn’t relate to Mary and Joseph’s life with Jesus; well, you can. Daily life presents us with challenges ranging from the common annoyance to the more serious, immense, life-changing, even traumatizing… We see this in the Joyful Mysteries: communicating something difficult to a fiancé or spouse, finding ourselves with a lack of resources, trying to do the right thing and being confused in the process, or experiencing events that incite shock, grief, and worry.
The fact that these are called the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary tells us at least one thing: Joy can be present in the middle of our challenges. Joy isn’t just feeling happy. Even the earliest Christians believed that true joy is a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence:
“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23).
When we look to Mary whose heart was pierced, we see a person who still placed her sense of identity in God—in whom she put her full confidence and trust even when she couldn’t see what lay ahead. That’s how she was able to, in the midst of her challenges, exclaim a song of joy and praise (cf. Luke 1:46-55).
Mary’s constant, steadfast hope is the reason we at Pilgrim Center of Hope have been inspired to undertake organizing Mother of Hope Marian Conference this summer, as so many people are seeking hope and have expressed curiosity to learn more about our Blessed Mother.
The next moment you find yourself in a tough time, let Mary be your role model and reminder to call on the Holy Spirit. She can help you trust that when God is with you, there is joy—no matter what.
Featured Image of Immaculate Heart Detail, by Nheyob, CC BY-SA 4.0
Originally written by Pilgrim Center of Hope for Today's Catholic newspaper.
Angela Sealana is the Media Coordinator for Pilgrim Center of Hope, having served at the apostolate since 2010. She also serves on the PCH Speaker Team.
Pilgrim Center of Hope provides events, experiences, and media; initiating a desire in people to encounter Jesus Christ in their daily journey of life. See what’s happening & let us journey with you! Visit PilgrimCenterOfHope.org.
