Woman, behold thy son.  Son behold thy mother. John 19:26–27

Woman?  Woman!  Why does Jesus refer to his mother with such a term?  Surely, the son of God would have seen the anguish on his mother’s face.  Woman!  That sounds so odd, so cold.  But, what if the term is meant to provide a signal far beyond Mary’s needs?  What if Jesus is saying, from the cross, to each of us, you have a new family now.
What if he is saying, to Mary, I want you to be more than the one who bore me in her belly?  I want you, Mary, woman, to stand in for all creation, and show that we can be formed into new families, not by DNA, but by the blood and water that will flow from this cross.  
The symmetry of the saying is a bit off, mother as compared to son.  But, what if Mary’s role is more important than the disciple whom Jesus loved?   What if, as the bearer of life, she carries the seed for this new family? 
Beloved, we are family.  We are made into family at the cross.  When you join CCB we say, “Your welfare and concerns are now our own.”  We are family.  That we learn this at the cross is painful.  That we hold it in our hearts is gift.

PRAYER:  Loving Christ, who inaugurates something brand new with these words, bind us together as family, in your name.  Amen.