with true resignation, His mother's presence brought Him no
consolation, but rather added to His sufferings, for her sufferings
were thereby added to His, and this added yet more to His
affliction. Who then, O good Jesus can discover by meditation how
great was Thy inward grief, for Thou knowest the hearts of all, when
Thou sawest all the body of Thy holy mother tortured by inward
compassion, even as Thou wast tortured on the Cross, and her tender
heart and maternal breast pierced with the sword of sharp sorrow,
her face pale as death, telling the anguish of her soul, and almost
dead, yet unable to die. When Thou beheldest her hot tears, flowing
down abundantly like sweet rivers upon her gracious cheeks, and over
all her face, all witnesses to Thee that she shared in Thy sorrow
and love; when Thou heardest her sad laments, forced from her by the
weight of her affliction; when Thou sawest that same tender mother,
melted away with the heat of love, her strength quite failing her,
worn out and exhausted by the pains of Thy Passion, which wasted her
away; all this, truly, was a new affliction to Thee on the Cross; it
was itself a new Cross. For Thou alone, by the spear of, Thy pity,
didst explore the weight and grievousness of her woes, which to men
are beyond comprehension. All this, indeed, greatly increased the
pain of Thy Passion, because Thou wast crucified not only in Thy own
body, but in Thy mother's heart; for her Cross was Thy Cross, and
Thine was hers. O how bitter was Thy Passion, sweet Jesus! Great
indeed was Thy outward suffering, but far more grievous was Thy
inward suffering, which Thy heart experienced at Thy mother's
anguish. It was now, beyond doubt, that the sword of sorrow pierced
her through, for the queen of martyrs was terribly and mortally
wounded in that part which is impassible--that is, the soul; she
bore the death of the Cross in that part which could not die,
suffering all the more her grievous inward death, as outward death