Mary Stands Beneath the Cross

Gradually
we shall grow up to pain
as Mary did.

A sapling set securely by God's hand
withstands the blast
of prophecy, holds out
through exiled dearth
through triple dark,
and in the years serene,
thrusts roots so deep that,
in the great upheaval,
one tree stands.

~"Mary Stands Beneath the Cross" by Sr. Mary Julian Baird, R.S.M.

Dear Mary, Mother of our Crucified Lord, it is my honor and my joy to stand with you beneath the Cross of your Beloved Son, the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Amen.