When the immaculate and blessed
mother was mourning with such lamentations, the gracious and all-merciful Lord looked
upon her with sweetness. And when he saw standing by he the beloved disciple,
full of love for his Lord and master. Wisdom herself opened her sweet mouth,
and mercy itself spoke a few words, as was fitting for the moment. And he
entrusted her to the beloved disciple, who more than all the disciples showed
fidelity and love for his Lord and master, as well as courage and bravery of
heart, for all the others fled, and he alone stood inseparably before his
cross. For this reason he said to his blessed mother, “Woman, behold your
son!” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” (John 19.26-27).
And he gave his virgin mother once again a virgin son, and he gave him a place
of himself, not that he would refuse to care for his immaculate mother himself—by
no means!—but he consoled his mother’s grief with a visible consolation. But
invisibly he was himself the caretaker of both the mother and the disciple and
of all their hopes. And he gave her over to the disciple as a result of his
love and faithfulness and his standing there at the time of the Passion, and he
honored him with a great honor, for he established him in his own place. And he
also gave us a command to care for and look after our parents until death, even
if through Providence he did not show complete obedience in other instances. For
as the evangelist says before the baptism, “he was obedient to them”
(Luke 2.51), but after the baptism, when they were in Cana of Galilee, he says,
“He said to her, ‘Woman, what have you to do with me?’” (John 2.4). And
again when they said, “Your mother and your brothers are seeking you,” He
said, “Who is my mother? My mother and my brothers are these” (Mark
3.32-33). And even if he spoke in this way then according to the divine
economy, nevertheless now he has clearly shown complete care and proper
devotion. And in his place he established the beloved disciple to take care of
her, “and he said to him, ‘Behold, your mother!’” And he comforted his
orphanhood, and he established his holy mother as a caregiver and queen for him.
When the disciple heard this he led her to his house on Zion, which is written
about above, and he served her properly by the grace of Christ. (Maximus the
Confessor, The Life of the Virgin 82 [trans. Stephen J. Shoemaker; New
Haven: Yale University Press, 2012], 109-10)
