Mary, Mother of Forgiveness

Our parish had it's Lenten mission last week, the topic being healing and forgiveness. There was much that it was good to hear and think on, but one point in particular that one of the priests made struck me.

He was describing an incident where a mother testified in favor of leniency for the young man being sentenced for driving drunk in the accident that killed her son. That's a level of forgiveness which it can seem challenging to imagine. And yet, he pointed out, we turn to Mary as our advocate in prayer every day -- Mary who stood and watched her son crucified for our sins.

Mary can seem like a very soft and easy figure in the religious imagination at times, the indulgent mother we can run to and ask to pray on our behalf. Surely Mary couldn't harden her heart to us, when she's without sin.

And indeed, being without sin, Mary does love us and pray for us. But what an amazing feat of forgiveness that takes, given that is our sins that cause her son's suffering.