Above: Pietà, by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1825-1905). See this article by Steve Skojec.
From the book School of Jesus Crucified.
THREE DEVOUT MEDITATIONS INTENDED TO AWAKEN FEELINGS OF COMPASSION IN THE HEART OF A CHRISTIAN FOR MARY, THE QUEEN OF DOLOURS
DAY III – Desolation of Mary after the death of Jesus
Meditation
1. Her grief at the burial of her Crucified Son
It still remained to the disconsolate Mother to drink the last drop of that chalice of sorrow from which indescribable bitterness had so long been poured forth into her virginal heart. And this last drop consisted in being deprived of the consolation of any longer beholding the sacred remains of her beloved Son, by their being enclosed in the holy sepulchre. Joseph and Nicodemus, being desirous of rendering this office to the sacred Body of their Crucified Redeemer, reverently take It from the arms of Mary, and, after having embalmed It with precious ointments, enclose It in a new sepulchre, thus hiding It in some sort from the view of the desolate Mother. Now, indeed, most truly can we say that there is no sorrow like unto the sorrow of Mary, and that her desolation is as great as the sea. In her other afflictions, indescribably bitter as they were to her most holy heart, the visible presence of her beloved Son, and the fact of being able to gaze at Him, was, if not an alleviation to her anguish, at least a source of great consolation, giving her strength to be His companion in suffering. But now the adorable Body of her Jesus is removed from her sight, and she can no longer behold Him. Oh, what words can tell the deep affliction, the bitter anguish, her soul suffers! Oh, if you could see into her afflicted heart, and behold the fearful agony it endures at this separation from the dead Body of her Jesus, when placed in the sepulchre, how many tears of love and compassion would you not shed over the most sorrowful of Mothers! See now how, the sepulchre being closed up, Mary buries all her affections, all her thoughts, and her heart also, together with the Body of her Crucified Son. See how, unable to tear herself from that loved tomb, which contains her only Treasure, she kisses it a thousand times, and would willingly die there, so as not to be separated from the Dear Object of her love; and there, in fact, she would have died of pure sorrow, had not God by a real miracle preserved her life. Is it possible that the sight of such excessive sufferings, and so painful a martyrdom of your loving Mother, should yet find you insensible? Are you aware who it is that has occasioned so much suffering to Mary, who it is that has deprived her of her only Son? Yourself; — by your sins. What cause have you then for tears, and for fulfilling the pious office of consoling the afflicted Mother in her desolation for the loss of her Divine Son!
2. Her grief from the remembrance of the Passion of her Son
The world’s Redeemer being buried, Mary departed from the sepulchre in body, but there left her heart, the dolorous Passion and cruel death of her innocent Son being deeply engraved in her soul. As she passed along those streets still marked with His precious Blood, as she met the ungrateful people who were the authors of this impious Deicide, not one, but a thousand swords transfixed anew the heart of the desolate Mother. Mournfully, sorrowfully, she enters her humble dwelling, and there, as she beholds no more the beloved Object of all her affections, and is no more blessed with the sweet visible presence of her dear Son, can words ever describe, or heart understand, what painful feelings are aroused in her mind, or what sighs of anguish break forth from her troubled heart? Her sole occupation, night and day, is to call to mind, over and over again, the long series of sufferings endured by her Son Jesus. The image of that Flower of Nazareth, so cruelly tortured, is ever present to her thoughts, and the weight of her sorrow becomes every instant more oppressive. The blows, the buffets, the insults heaped upon Jesus are vividly impressed on her mind. She beholds the deep wounds inflicted on His most holy Body by the scourges, the thorns, and the nails. She imagines she still hears the last accents of the voice of her dying Son. She reflects upon the hatred, the cruelty, and the ingratitude with which the chosen people have treated their Redeemer and their God, and, at remembrances so painful, excessive indeed must have been the depth of anguish endured by her loving soul, thus encompassed by a sea of bitterness! And what are the sentiments with which you call to mind all that a God has suffered for you? With what feelings do you contemplate a God upon the Cross agonizing and dying for your salvation? Learn from Mary how to meditate upon the sufferings of Jesus; beg her to imprint them upon your heart, and to inspire you with those feelings of love, compassion, and sorrow with which she meditated upon them; and when you meditate upon them, forget not to give a glance at the sorrowful heart of Mary, so as to dedicate your own ever more and more to her love, to the imitation of her virtues, and to compassion for her sufferings.
3. Her grief on account of the sins and ingratitude of men
The sword of grief which inflicted one of the greatest pains upon the virginal heart of Mary, and rendered her martyrdom more bitter, and her desolation more complete after the death and burial of Jesus, was her foresight of the sins of men, and her foreknowledge of their ungrateful forgetfulness of all that had been done for them. Oh, the sight of all those followers of the Crucified God, who would by sin re-open His wounds, renew His sufferings, and display the most unheard-of cruelty against Him, her innocent Son and their loving Father, could not but have been a source of bitter suffering to her heart. Ah, perhaps this Mother of Dolours beheld you among the number, and shed tears of sorrow over the malice with which you have so frequently offended Jesus. When she reflects how many would pervert this Divine Blood, the price of their salvation, to their own damnation; when she beholds how many souls, purchased at the price of the life of a Man-God, would be cast into Hell, to burn in unquenchable fire; when she reflects upon the hardness of heart and obstinacy of the Jews, who, in defiance of innumerable prodigies, so many signs of the world’s Redeemer, would not be convinced and converted, but would persist in their malice and voluntary blindness, what inexpressible anguish must overwhelm her soul! She beholds in spirit all Christians, who have been given to her as her children in an especial manner by Jesus dying on the Cross; she beholds them ungrateful to His love, forgetful of His goodness, unmindful of the numerous benefits which have been bestowed on them through His Passion, and not even giving one glance of compassion, or one devout thought, upon their suffering Redeemer, but rebelliously refusing Him that heart and that love which He has purchased at the price of so much blood and so many torments. Oh, how so painful a sight transfixes and overwhelms the heart of the Virgin Mother with acute sorrow! How many miracles of goodness and mercy has not Jesus worked in your favour, and have you ever determined to correspond with them, and thus to console the afflicted heart of Mary, your loving Mother, who has brought you forth to a life of grace at the foot of the Cross? Have you ever thought of the debt you have incurred of venerating, respecting, and loving her with all the affection of your heart, and of constantly bearing in mind all she has suffered?
Begin from this day forward, and deliver your Mother from that sword of ingratitude and want of love for her which has so wounded her heart.
The Fruit
Reproach yourself with having been until now so unfeeling and so ungrateful towards the holy Virgin Queen of Dolours, and determine never to let a day pass without offering her the tribute of some devout thought, feeling of affection, or pious practice in her honour. Devotion to the sorrows of Mary was ever the favourite devotion of all the Saints; let it be yours also. Often repeat to yourself, “Mary has loved me, and has delivered up her Son to death for my sake.” It will not be difficult for this thought to excite in your heart feelings of love and gratitude towards this most afflicted Mother. Unite your trials, sufferings, and crosses to hers, and bear them as she has borne hers, suffering in imitation of her with patience and silence, for love of Jesus.
Example
Blessed Paul of the Cross, being singularly devout to the Passion of Jesus, was so also to the Dolours of Mary, which he bore, as it were, engraven in his heart; and he would most fervently seek on every occasion to inspire all men with a filial devotion and a tender and loving compassion for the Queen of Martyrs. It was from herself in person that he acquired the wonderful knowledge he possessed of the extent and depth of her sorrows, for she appeared to him one day, her heart transfixed with a sword, and her eyes overflowing with tears, while she made known to him the excess of her sufferings.
One Good Friday, the holy servant of God being urged by his companion to take some slight refreshment, began to weep bitterly, exclaiming, “How would you, dear brother, have me eat, when thinking of the sufferings of holy Mary? Oh, what bitter anguish did Mary endure in the loss of her beloved San! What indescribable sorrow on returning to Bethania, after the burial of her adorable Son!” And here, immersed anew in the contemplation of her sufferings, and bursting forth into tears and sighs, he did most truly find it impossible to taste any food whatsoever. (See his Life.)