Lent Day 38: The Task Entrusted by Him John (19:25-27)

Lent Day 38

The Task Entrusted by Him

John 19:25-27

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.

26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, "Woman, here is your son,"

27 and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

◇ Jesus was truly human. He was not a demigod or a mythical creature but a real person. He felt hunger, sorrow, pain, and had a fragile body that he wished to escape from.

On the cross, the last act of the human Jesus was for his mother Mary, the most pitiable woman in the world. It is said that the greatest sorrow for a parent is to outlive their children, a grief that is forever carried in the heart. Mary not only bore this sorrow but also watched her son die a raw and brutal death on the cross. She witnessed every humiliation, spit upon and mocked, without missing a single moment. What must have been in Mary's heart?

Knowing his mother's heart, Jesus's last act before dying was to ask his beloved disciple to take care of her. In his agony, Jesus, as a son, performed his final duty before he breathed his last.

The disciple entrusted with his mother was John. It is said that John took care of Jesus's mother for the rest of his life. What must have been in John's heart upon receiving this request? How great an honor it must have been for him? John, who was asked to care for Jesus's mother before the Lord passed away, faithfully fulfilled this responsibility until his dying day.

Just as Jesus entrusted his beloved mother to the trustworthy John, he has entrusted us, who follow Christ, with people to care for. "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40b). Jesus calls us to care for the poor, the sick, the lonely, the weak, and those unnoticed or neglected. He does not ask for grand actions but to care for them through what we can do, sharing a part of what we have.

Jesus shared his love with us by giving his life, and now we follow him by sharing what we have with neighbors who cannot repay us. This is what it looks like to be a disciple of the Lord.

Lord, let us show that we are your disciples by following you and keeping your commandments. Holy Spirit, lead us in truth. Amen.