Mary, Woman of Faithfulness

We come to Mary at the foot of the cross. She along with her sister, Salome; Mary, the wife of Clopas; and Mary Magdalene stand as disciples of Jesus. Mary was not just there as his mother. According to McKnight, Mary may not have completely understood what was going on, but she "was faithful to her son--as son and as Lord--even if it meant absorbing the humiliation of the crucifixion" (p. 90).

As Mary stood at the foot of the cross, she

began to realize not only what Simeon's "sword" meant but also how God planned to make the Magnificat real...Jesus would not wear the crown of Caesar Augustus or the fine apparel of Herod Anitpas. He would hang there, naked and beaten, and give to Mary and the world a radically new view of what it means to reign in this world. To reign in this world, Mary began to learn, was to give one's life for others as Jesus had given his (p. 95).

Throughout all of this, Mary was faithful and was to remain faithful.