When Mary bore her baby boy,
the heavens filled with light --
How could she know how it would end,
with skies turned black as night?
They spat upon her first-born babe
and nailed Him to a cross --
while darkness swept across the land
as bleak as Mary's loss.
I know this day is all about
when God reclaimed His child,
but I can't help but contemplate
the grief of Mother mild.
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Author Notes
In Christian tradition, the Star of Bethlehem shone with astonishing brightness over the stable when Jesus was born.
According to the Gospels, on the day of His crucifixion, which is commemorated on Good Friday, darkness covered the land during the last three hours He suffered on the cross.
At the moment of His death, earthquakes shook the ground and surrounding buildings, and a Centurion declared, "Surely this is the Son of God." The Gospels also report that his mother Mary was in the crowd with the disciples and two of Jesus' brothers. I've often wondered how many people were thinking about the loss suffered by his earthly mother. I cannot imagine the grief of losing a child and cannot even comprehend the pain of watching one of my children die over the course of six hours of execution. And so, on Good Friday, I always think of Mary. For centuries Mary has been described in verse and hymns as Mother mild, especially when recounting the nativity.
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