Good Friday — The Women at the Foot of the Cross

By Krisanne Vaillancourt Murphy

“Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister. Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdala.” (John 19:25)

Today’s Good Friday gospel reading is heavy. We remember the Passion story: Judas, Jesus’ disciple, betrays him. In defense of Jesus, Simon Peter cuts off the ear of a high-priest’s slave and then proceeds to deny Jesus three times. The crowd shouts, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Jesus carries the cross to which he will be nailed; the instrument of his torture. Soldiers divide his clothes and cast lots for his tunic. And Jesus hands over his spirit.

If you are feeling the weight of Good Friday, it is for good reason. The scene paints a grim, dark picture that all hope is lost.

While Jesus willingly accepts this fate to carry the weight of our sins so that we may be saved, in historical terms, it is the scene of state-sanctioned murder.

Like the mob that condemned Jesus, we still sentence people to death in the U.S., blatantly disregarding the sanctity of each and every human person. Or, like the crowds on the road to Calvary, we jeer at those beleaguered by the weight of their death sentences, relishing in their torment. The injustice of capital punishment persists today and is worthy of our action.

Yet, in this Jubilee Year of Hope, I want to draw your attention to another, perhaps less pondered scene within the Passion narrative so that even in the face of this darkness, we may take heart. When I fall into moments of despair and need to access a depth of courage otherwise seemingly out of reach, I do well to remember the women at the foot of Christ’s cross.

Amid the horror of this Good Friday on Calvary, a whisper of hope breaks in: the Gospel tells us… “Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister. Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdala.” Here in the chaos of the persecution and crucifixion, it would have been rather easy for them to flee the scene. Or to fall into the trap of believing God had given up on the world. Yet these women never leave Jesus.

Unbeknownst to the women, it is in this darkest scene at the foot of the cross that their faithful presence points toward a fountain of forgiveness that has the power to overcome vengeance. They stand before what is the destruction of death forever.

These women present at the cross are the embodiment of witness to hope, bridging the gap from utter despair to God’s ultimate promise for our salvation.

So on this Good Friday, let us remember that in our moments when all hope seems lost — God’s abundance and restoration may be temporarily hidden from our view. It is at these times that we too, like the women, are called to stand steadfast. By our very presence, we witness that through Jesus’ death, God’s eternal promise lives for each of us.

Let us consider:

1. Where might you stand as a witness to hope?
2. Might you be sensing an invitation here?

This reflection is also part of Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Lenten Series: Take Heart.