The idea
Pitre quotes David Flusser on the Mater Dolorosa: 'not a theological concept or an overpowering experience of the archetypal but primarily a real person who was inspired by her joy and never defeated by her unspeakable pain.' Then he steps outside the argument: 'at the end of the day, it's important to remember that Mary is not a doctrine or a dogma, but a person… a real, living human being who, like all of us, had to walk the long journey through this valley of tears.' As Rachel's children were the children of her sorrow, 'we are the children of Mary's sorrow.'
Key verses
- Luke 2:35 — the sword through her soul.
- Jeremiah 31:15 — Rachel's inconsolable weeping.
- Genesis 35:18 — Benjamin, 'son of my sorrow.'
The connection
| Old Testament root | New Testament fulfilment | |
|---|---|---|
| Rachel's children — the children of her sorrow | → | The Church — the children of Mary's sorrow |
The most personal paragraph in the book is also its Jewish scholar's: the Mother of Sorrows is a person before she is a doctrine, and her children are those born of her grief at the cross.
Sources
- Modern scholars Pitre cites — David Flusser (p 157)