“The Pieta”

May 12, 2009 

Year of St. Paul

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

May the Lord give you peace!

One of my fondest recollections of my life in Rome, is the daily surge of pilgrims into the great Basilica of Saint Peter. The first stop on their pilgrimage is The Pieta, Michelangelo’s classic sculpture of the Sorrowful Mother. More than just the mandatory tourist attraction, the image of the “Deposition”- the dead body of Jesus lying in the arms of Mother Mary- is one of the most poignant and powerful images in human history.

It is often recreated in modern art or photography, especially at times of devastation and disaster, as the ultimate means of communicating the depth of feeling and the suffering of humanity. Nothing shows that suffering, or communicates that feeling, more than the simple image of a mother holding her dead child. Our hearts cannot help but be touched by her grief, nor can we disassociate ourselves from the humanity of it all.

The prophet Simeon blessed Mary when she and Saint Joseph presented the baby Jesus in the temple. Simeon’s words echo as we view the woman who holds the child. “A sword will pierce your own heart too, that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.”

In suffering we run to our mothers. She holds us, kisses our “boo-boos” and shares heart-felt words of reassurance. It makes everything better. I don’t know sometimes how women do it – offer such comfort and strength in the midst of pain and suffering.

It’s not hard to understand why God chose Mary as Christ’s Mother. It’s not hard to understand why He gave her to us in the moment of greatest agony on the cross. She understands. She is there. She loves. Jesus came to us through Mary. God loves her and asks us to love her and honor her too.

In this month of May, may I suggest an extra “Hail Mary” to honor the Mother of God and to experience her comfort and motherly guidance in the midst of our daily lives? 

Faithfully in Christ,

Most Reverend William Patrick Callahan

Archdiocesan Administrator
Archdiocese of Milwaukee

To receive Bishop Callahan's Thought for the Week, submit your name and e-mail address here .