Mini-retreat focuses on strength of four women at foot of the Cross

MORRIS PLAINS  Imagine the scene of horror at the Crucifixion. Three condemned men, including Christ, screaming in agony while hanging from their crosses. Angry bystanders shout taunts at them.

Then picture four women with nerves of steel — the Blessed Virgin Mary; Mary of Clopas; Mary, mother of the sons of Zebedee; and Mary Magdalene, risk everything — their lives and the lives of their families — to stand at the foot of the Cross, at Christ’s Crucifixion and at his burial. Later, they experienced the joy of witnessing Christ’s Resurrection.

About 40 women of St. Virgil Parish here tried to put themselves in the sandals of these four brave women and draw some spiritual inspiration from them at a Lenten mini-retreat, “Four Women at the Foot of the Cross,” on March 19 in the parish center.

“These four women are the foundation of the Church. Without them, there are no Christians. That’s because they are the proof that Christ died, Christ rose from the dead, and Christ will come again. They were there. It was real,” said Deacon Merle Sisler of St. Virgil’s, who delivered the three-hour mini-retreat with help from Joanne Calafiore, now retired and the former pastoral associate of St. Virgil’s and Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Wayne. “The Apostles were afraid and ran away. These women were afraid but did not run away. They were truly devoted to Christ and stayed. They gave up everything because they believed that Jesus is the Christ,” the deacon said.

Chief among those four women was the Blessed Mother, who was “willing to risk everything to bring about the salvation of her people” by becoming the mother of Jesus. Deacon Sisler imagined what Mary must have felt after the Angel Gabriel told her that she would bear the Christ Child. Later, Simon tells Mary that “a sword will be thrust into your heart,” while she and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple — ominous words that must have struck fear inside her, Deacon Sisler said.

Simon’s words foreshadowed the perils of Jesus’ earthly ministry, which he conducted under constant threat of death. Mary followed Christ with the other three women with her at the Cross. She watched her son being beaten and fitted with a crown of thorns. She watched as the Romans nailed him to the Cross, Deacon Sisler said.

“Jesus was filling up with water and could hardly speak. He told Mary, ‘Woman, behold your son.’ [referring to John, standing next to her]. Then, Jesus told John, ‘Behold your mother.’ Jesus was telling Mary that John would take care of her. He was telling her how much he loved her,” Deacon Sisler said during the mini-retreat that had been postponed for two years due to the pandemic. “Jesus gave us his mother to help us initiate a relationship with him,” he said.

The most misunderstood of the four was Mary Magdalene. She lived in the town of Magdala, a thriving fishing village on the western shore of Galilee. Regrettably, she had a reputation as a prostitute in the western Church. In the 1960s, the Church corrected that inaccurate portrait of her. On June 10, 2016, Pope Francis elevated Mary of Magdala’s memorial day on July 22 to a feast day. By contrast, the Eastern Church always has viewed Mary Magdalene in the highest esteem, calling her a “Heroine of the Faith,” Calafiore said.

“Mary Magdalene served Jesus’ community happily and quietly. She was smart and understood Jesus’ message even when the Apostles did not understand at times. She stayed close to Jesus until the end,” said Calafiore, who noted that she went to the tomb on the day after Good Friday to anoint Christ’s body. On Easter morning, she returned to the tomb and became the first witness to Jesus’ Resurrection. “We should be like Mary Magdalene, listening with the ear and seeing with the eye of the heart. She is modeling for us to be in right relationship with God through Jesus, who is always wooing us into that right relationship with him,” she said.

Mary of Clopas is understood to be the sister-in-law of the Blessed Mother and the mother of two sons, James and Joseph, by her first husband, Alpheus, and two more sons, Simon and Jude, by her second husband Cleophas. After James was martyred, Simon was chosen to occupy James’ seat as bishop in the see of Jerusalem. Mary of Clopas brought supplies for Jesus’ burial, including the burial shroud, Deacon Sisler said. Also known as Salome, Mary, mother of the sons of Zebedee, was the mother of James and John, also known as the “Sons of Thunder” — two of the Apostles. She also is considered either a sister or half-sister of the Blessed Virgin. James was the first Apostle to be martyred. John lived a long time after his brother’s death, Deacon Sisler said.

During her talk, Calafiore urged the women at the mini-retreat to “put yourself in Scripture.

“These women, by being witnesses at the Cross, faced the same threat of execution by the Romans. They were courageous, just as many are finding their courage in Ukraine today facing Russian invasion,” Calafiore said. “Would I have had the courage to stand at the foot of the Cross? I’m not sure. I might have run away. But this is what it is all about — do we have the courage to say, ‘I’m a Catholic’? ” she said.

After the mini-retreat, Wendy Drake, a St. Virgil’s parishioner for more than 30 years, told The Beacon, “the subject intrigued me.

“I didn’t know that three of the Marys at the Cross were related. It shows that everybody needs family. I also could see the strength of their faith. I could relate to that,” Drake said.