In his homily during the celebration of the ‘Passion of the Lord’ at the Cathedral of Christ the King, the Archbishop of Johannesburg highlights the “strong bond between mother and son.”

“On this day of the death of Jesus, perhaps we are invited then, to move from one negative image to a positive image that brings us closer to who Christ is.” Good Friday, Archbishop Buti Joseph Tlhagale says “pushes us to question ourselves, to look at ourselves, to make an effort to imitate Jesus Christ who is our saviour.”

He then goes on to highlight Mary the mother of Jesus at the foot of the cross as the second image of the passion and death of Christ.

 “The image of Mary at the foot of the cross is a depiction of her suffering, it is a picture that encompasses all the pain associated with the crucifixion of Jesus,” says Archbishop Tlhagale.

Addressing the people of God at the Cathedral of Christ King filled with mainly mothers, young adults, and children, Archbishop Tlhagale says the image of Mary at the foot of the cross “brings to mind the wounds of Jesus, and the ferocious crowd that cried out crucify him.”

“This image of Mary at the foot of the cross reminds us of the pain caused by the crown of thorns on the head of Jesus, but Mary stood there silently, repressed her suffering inwardly” just like that of many mothers “who suffer in their homes and keep suffering in their hearts.”

Considering the high number of households led by single mothers in South Africa, Archbishop Tlhagale notes the “desire” of African sons and daughters to “build” a house for their mothers as a sign of gratitude.

“Talking about this bond, the desire of every son, the desire of every daughter once they reach a certain age, especially in the African community. They desire to build their mother a house,” says the parish priest of Christ the King Cathedral.

He adds, “I think that comes from the realisation over the years as one grows older that mothers do so much for their children, that somehow we need to reciprocate that generosity, that kindness.”

“That strong bond between mother and son, between mother and daughter, should also be the power that controls the children’s behaviour. In other words, if we appreciate our mothers so much, we should also be in a position to avoid doing something that will disappoint them, that will shame them.”

The Metropolitan Archbishop of Johannesburg commends fathers who are “committed to their families (as) they are the ones who keep the image of fatherhood alive.”

In his concluding remarks, Archbishop Tlhagale says the Passion of the Lord is an invitation to “explore the relationship between Mary and her son, and also to think at the same time about the relationship between fathers and their sons and daughters.”

“Let us take away today, on this day, of the death of our Lord Jesus Christ who died in order that we might be reconciled with God the Father… but also to take away the great image and the relationship between Mary and her son and see how we relate to our mothers, to our fathers, how we relate to our children, whether that image is consistent with Mary’s relationship to her son.”