Part One – His Mother
FIRST STANZA This is a very general description which could just as well apply to any mother, including those of Gestas and Dismas, the two thieves crucified next to Our Lord. Perhaps their mothers also stood by the crosses of their own sons. No doubt they would have suffered grievously to see their sons die in so much pain.
Verse 1 Stabat mater dolorosa The Sorrowful Mother was standing The very first word of the hymn is ‘Stabat’ – in English: ‘She was standing’. Upright station as a physical posture expresses the moral strength of the Blessed Virgin Mary, standing firm in her faith and hope. It warns us from the onset against a possible misinterpretation of the pathos which follows: the forthcoming weeping and grieving betray no superficial or weak sentimentality, but saintly compassion after that of God’s own heart ever 19
Meditations on the Stabat Mater D844.indd 19
22/12/2021 12:28
