April 9th - St. Mary "of Cleophas"
- From: "Traudel" <hildegard8@xxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 9 Apr 2007 10:36:44 -0500
April 9th - St. Mary "of Cleophas"
"And there were standing by the cross of Jesus His mother and His mother's
sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalen." How should we understand "His
mother's sister," literally, as in having the same parents, or in the same
sense that Jesus's "brothers" are to be understood as close relatives?
The short answer is that Mary of Cleophas is probably the Blessed Virgin's
sister-in-law. Mary of Cleophas may have had a previous husband named
Alpheus, or this Alpheus may have been Cleophas. The Blessed Virgin Mary, of
course, only had one husband (Joseph) and remained a virgin. The long answer
follows.
Jesus' relatives
Reading the Bible, we find that Jesus had brethren named James, Joseph,
Simon (Simeon) and Jude (Mt 13:55). We also know that His mother Mary had a
"sister" called Mary. This other Mary in turn had a husband named Cleophas
(Jn 19:25). I hope here to summarize and untangle this maze of relatives. I
do not seek to prove the Blessed Virgin Mary's perpetual virginity here;
there are many other sources for that purpose that I will list below.
First, let us see what the Gospels tell us. At the death of Jesus, we are
told that Mary wife of Cleophas/Clopas (Jn 19:25) was present. She was
described as the mother of James and Joseph (Mt 27:56) in one account, and
mother of James the Less and Joses in another (Mk 15:40). On the other hand,
James is described as the son of Alphaeus in the synoptic Gospels' listing
of the Apostles (Mt 10:3, Mk 3:18, Lk 6:15). We can infer that Mary wife of
Cleophas is unlikely to be a true sister of the Virgin Mary, since they bear
the same name. However, they are related in some way. This parallels the
semitic use of "brother" in relating James to Jesus.
An ancient historian named Hegesippus can shed further light. A native of
Palestine, Hegesippus finished his Memoirs in the reign of Pope Eleutherius
(AD 175-189) when he was an old man. He draws his information from personal
sources, as he was able to question some surviving members of Jesus' family.
Hegesippus can tell us that:
"After the martyrdom of James, it was unanimously decided that Simeon, son
of Clopas, was worthy to occupy the see of Jerusalem. He was, it is said, a
cousin of the Saviour;" Hegesippus recounts in fact that Clopas was a
brother of Joseph (Eusebius, Hist. eccl., III, 11).
St. Epiphanius (Haer., LXXVII, 7) says the same and adds (ibid., 14) "that
this Simeon, the son of Clopas, was a cousin of James the Just," as
Hegesippus says in another passage. (Prat, Jesus Christ, p. 505).
Cleophas is the brother of Joseph (Jesus' adopted father). It follows that
Cleophas' wife Mary is the Virgin Mary's sister in law, which explains why
they can have the same name and are called sisters. It also follows that
James is Jesus' cousin. Ferdinand Prat reasons:
"We know, then that the mother of two of the brothers of the Lord was Mary
of Cleophas, the sister of the Blessed Virgin. We also know that Cleophas,
St Joseph's brother, was the father of a third, called Simon or Simeon.
Since the remaining one, Jude, is always connected with Simon and is, like
him, part of the family of David, it is natural to suppose that he was also
a son of Cleophas.
All the points that remain obscure would be cleared up, in our opinion, if
two hypotheses are risked. Mary, the sister of the Blessed Virgin, having
two sons, James and Joseph, by a first marriage, was married a second time
to Cleophas, brother of St. Joseph, who also had two sons, Simon and Jude,
by a former marriage. In light of the customs of the country and the age,
there was nothing extraordinary in the marriage of a widow and a widower,
each with children. The second hypothesis is that the sister of the Blessed
Virgin had as her first husband a man of the tribe of Levi, called Alpheus.
In this fashion nine or ten problems would be solved. Thus one could explain
why James, Joseph, Simon and Jude are always named in that order, as
brethren of the Lord; why James and Joseph are a pair distinct from Simon
and Jude; why Mary, sister of the Blessed Virgin, is called the mother of
James and Joseph and not the mother of Simon and Jude; why, according to
Hegesippus, Simon and not James is the son of Cleophas; why, again according
to Hegesippus, Simon and Jude are of the family of David; why, according to
tradition, James was of sacerdotal ancestry; why the common opinion of
Catholics identifies James, son of Mary, sister of the Blessed Virgin, with
James the Apostle, the son of Alpheus; why Mary of Cleophas is called in the
Gospel sister of the Blessed Virgin, when she was really her sister-in-law,
being the wife of St. Joseph's brother; finally, why, after the deaths of
Joseph and Cleophas, the two sisters brought their families together, so
that thereafter the two families seemed to be but one." (Prat, Jesus Christ,
p. 136-137).
We do not hear of Cleophas or Joseph (Jesus' adopted father) in the Gospels
during Jesus' adult life. We can imagine that after their deaths, the two
families-deprived of their protectors and heads-came together under one
roof. This would further strengthen their ties: the two Marys as "sisters"
and Jesus and His cousins as "brothers". Gospel and tradition kept these
names without denying Mary's perpetual virginity.
Quote:
"One ounce of the Cross is worth more than a million pounds of prayer. One
day of crucifixion is worth more than a hundred years of all other
exercises. It is worth more to remain a moment upon the Cross, than to taste
the delights of Paradise"
-Ven. Sister Maria Vittoria Angelini
St Bridget once received and bore patiently a succession of trials from
various persons. One of them made an insulting remark to her; another
praised her in her presence, but complained of her in her absence; another
calumniated her; another spoke ill of a servant of God, in her presence, to
her great displeasure; one did her a grievous wrong, and she blessed her;
one caused her a loss, and she prayed for her; and a seventh gave her false
information of the death of her son, which she received with tranquillity
and resignation. After all this, St. Agnes the Martyr appeared to her,
bringing in her hand a most beautiful crown adorned with seven precious
stones, telling her that they had been placed there by these seven persons.
Then she put it upon her head and disappeared. How could so much have been
gained by any other exercise?
(Taken from the book "A Year with the Saints". April - Patience)
Bible Quote
49 But one of them, named Caiphas, being the high priest that year, said to
them: You know nothing. 50 Neither do you consider that it is expedient for
you that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not. 51 And this he spoke not of himself: but being the high priest of that
year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation. (John 11:49-51)
<><><><>
A brief novena to our Lord as Christ the King of All Nations:
Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!
Christ the King, have mercy on us!
Our Father...
V: Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
R: By the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Glory be...
O Lord our God, Thou alone art the Most Holy King and Ruler of all
nations. We pray to Thee, O Lord, in the great expectation of receiving
from Thee, O Divine King; mercy, peace, justice, and all good things.
V: Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
R: By the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Glory be...
Protect, O Lord our King, our families and the land of our birth. Guard
us, we pray, O Most Faithful One! Protect us from our enemies and from Thy
just judgement.
V: Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
R: By the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Glory be...
Forgive us, O Sovereign King, our sins against Thee. Jesus, Thou art the
King of Mercy. We hath deserved Thy just judgement. Have mercy on us, O
Lord, and forgive us; for we trust in Thy great mercy.
V: Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
R: By the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Glory be...
O most awe-inspiring King, we bow before Thee and pray: may Thy Reign be
confessed and obeyed on earth as it is in Heaven! Amen.
V: Jesus, King and center of all hearts,
R: By the coming of Thy kingdom, grant us peace.
Glory be...
Hail Mary... (three times)
O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell,
lead all souls to Heaven,
especially those who have most need of your mercy.
Christ conquers! Christ reigns! Christ commands!
Christ the King, have mercy on us!
.
- Prev by Date: Re: Still nagging mary?
- Next by Date: April 9th - Blessed Antony of Pavoni
- Previous by thread: Bush has murdered 3282 Americans in Iraq
- Next by thread: April 9th - Blessed Antony of Pavoni
- Index(es):
Relevant Pages
|
Loading
