"Woman, Behold Your Son, Behold Your Mother"

The column today is dedicated to women whose sons were killed by summary executions, wars, crimes, and other forms of extra-judicial justice systems, and to sons who lost their mothers who had to work as migrant workers and the got raped, killed or prosecuted for concocted offenses abroad.

In his Gospel, Saint John in Chapter 19, Verses 26 to 27, tells of the third among the Seven last words of our Lord Jesus, while hanging on the cross: " Woman, behold your son" and looking at John, the beloved apostle" Behold your mother". What are our reflections on this biblical passage?

Since I am not a man of the cloth or any pastor who is competent to make commentaries on the Testaments, both Old and New, I would not like to explain the scriptural meaning of this important passage in the Holy Book. I would rather make a spin to make this passage relate to mothers who lost their sons in the world's many wars and armed struggles, as well as Filipino moms who lost their sons allegedly due to state-sponsored extra-judicial killings and summary executions. I also refer to OFWs and their families who lost many loved ones due to migration.

Related to the war-related deaths of young sons and even young daughters, I am reminding all that today is Araw Ng Kagitingan, which used to be called Bataan day or The fall of Bataan. This is the day when more than 76,000 battle-weary, sick, tired and starving soldiers (64,000 Filipinos, 11,000 Americans and about 1,000 Chinese born in the Philippines) sons of many mothers, who were ordered by the cruel, inhuman and tyrannical Japanese Imperial Army to march from Bataan all the way to Pampanga and then to Tarlac.

Om April 9, 1942, at early dawn, Major General Edward King, Jr, Luzon Force commander of the USAFFE, or the US Armed Forces of the Far East violated the orders of his superiors General Douglas MacArthur and General Jonathan Wainwright, not to surrender to the Japanese and to hold on until the US liberation forces shall have arrived. But there was no more food, no more ammunition, many were sick and there were no medicines nor doctors and nurses. They were already surrounded by enemy forces which attacked them by land, by sea and by air.

The sun's heat was scorching, as it was only six days after Good Friday. Along the way, many mothers were looking at the soldiers, many of whom were very young, and could be their sons. "Woman, behold your son". The young men were dying of heat stroke, hunger and by summary execution and the Japanese did not allow them to eat nor to drink while walking, many barefooted. Some of those who attempted to get water along the way were shot or killed by bayonets.

No less than 18,000 Filipinos and 650 Americans died along the way from Mariveles, Bataan to san Fernando, Pampanga, a distance of 93 kilometers walk and another 41 kilometers from San Fernando, Pampanga to Capas, Tarlac in Camp O'Donnel That is why it was dubbed as the infamous Death March. Can you imagine how many children lost their fathers, how many wives lost their husbands and how many mothers lost their sons. The same is true to the war in Gaza, in Ukraine and in many war-torn countries in Africa.

We also refer to the alleged 30,000 killed by summary executions, the thousands of killed by the NPA and the AFP, as well as the MILF and the MNLF during the turbulent years during the insurgency uprisings, the terrorists attacks of Marawi and the massacres in Maguindanao and Mamasapano, and in bloody encounters in many places in Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. In wars, there are no winners or losers.

As we reflect on the third of the Seven Last Words, we remember our mothers who have to carry the deepest anguishes in their hearts whenever they find the dead bodies of their sons. Whether killed in wars or in extra-judicial or summary executions, mothers are the most devastated seeing their lifeless sons. That was exactly what Mother Mary felt during the passion and death of the Lord, Jesus.

Today, we pray for all mothers who have lost their children and for young children who have lost their mothers, not due to natural death or sickness but as a result of crimes, and other forms of man's inhumanity to other men and women.