others, we see Him still fulfilling His ministry of mercy and of sympathy, we are certain that His eyes would rest upon one group which could not fail to pierce His heart with its pathos and tragedy.  Our Lord’s love is not a general, impersonal love of humanity; it is always love of a person.  He no doubt felt a special love for this thief who appealed to Him from the cross by His side.  In the whole course of His life our Lord had shown His oneness with us in that He loved special people in a special way.  He loved Lazarus and his sisters, He loved S. John.  Above all others He loved His Blessed Mother.  And now looking down from the Cross He sees that the disciple whom He loved was succeeded in leading His mother into the very shadow of the Cross.  How S. Mary had made her way there we do not know:  only love knows how it triumphs over its obstacles and comes forth victorious.  There is Blessed Mary, looking up into the face so scarred and bleeding, and there is the Son, looking down through the blinding blood into the face of the mother.  This is the supreme human tragedy of Calvary.  We can only stand and watch the exchange of love.

And then comes the word—­the word, by the way, which when it was spoken years ago in Cana of Galilee, men have interpreted as a harsh and rebuking word, with how much truth this scene tells—­then comes the word:  “Woman, behold thy son.”  In His love He gives her that which He had so much loved, the friendship of S. John.  He brings together those who had so supremely loved Him in an association which would support them both in the trial of their loss.  “Woman, behold thy son; behold thy mother.”  Bitter as was their sorrow in this hour, we know that they were marvellously comforted by this power of love which is able to transcend suffering and death.  We know, because we know how utterly our Lord is one with us, that it was much to Him to look on the face that bent over Him in the Manger in Bethlehem.  We know, because we know the perfect woman that was Mary, that there was deep joy as well as deep agony in being able to stand there at the last beneath the Cross.

Do you think that we are going too far when we see in S. Mary not simply the mother of our Lord, but when we also see in her a certain representative character?  Does she not represent us in one way and S. John represent us in another, in this supreme exchange of love?  Do we not feel that in S. John we have been recommended to the love and care of Mary who is our mother?  Do we not feel that in S. John the mother has been committed to our love and care?  Surely, because we are members of her Son we have a special relation to S. Mary, and a special claim upon her, if it be permitted to express it in that way.  It is no empty form of words when we call her mother, no exaltation of sentimentalism.  The title represents a very real relation of love.  It brings home to us that the love of Mary is as near infinite as the love of a creature can be, and that like the love of her Son