Mercy Sister Jane Schlosser prepares for the workshop she will present Feb. 29 at Mary Queen of Heaven Parish in Elmhurst titled, "The Story of Jesus' death and Resurrection told through the eyes of Mary his Mother."

DARIEN—During Lent, Catholics are asked to reflect upon the final days of Jesus’ life.

Gospels and other readings tell the story of his 40-day journey in the desert, his agony in the garden, his arrest and his brutal death. What Catholics don’t hear during these readings is what other people who were close to Jesus were thinking during these moments. What thoughts were going through the mind of his mother, Mary, when she heard he had been condemned to death? What were his closest friends thinking the hours following his death?

Anyone interested in getting insightful thoughts on what the women in Jesus’ life might have been thinking or saying to each other can attend a reflection workshop given by Mercy Sister Jane Schlosser at 7 p.m. Feb. 29 in Elmhurst at Mary Queen of Heaven Parish. Sister Schlosser intends to tell the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection through the eyes of his mother, Mary, and other women who were close to him throughout his life.

Conducting numerous workshops and speaking engagements every year, Sister Schlosser told the Explorer it is sometimes a challenge creating new ideas for retreats or lectures, but this is one topic she knows is important and has been of interest to her for a while.

“We don’t always look at the Blessed Mother and what she as a mother was going through during that time” when Jesus was sentenced to death, tortured and eventually crucified, she said. “I was surprised to find that Mary is mentioned 13 times in Scripture—at the Annunciation, the Visitation, Jesus’ birth and presentation and the wedding at Cana—but we just get little pieces of Mary, little snippets. It’s kind of amazing that she is only mentioned 13 times” in Scripture.

Sister Schlosser said she is hoping to “flesh out” ideas of what it must have been like for the Blessed Mother when she found out her son had been arrested and what she was thinking when she encountered him on the street on the way to his death.

“We hear the same story, year after year,” Sister explained of the Gospel readings during Holy Week. “It is good to look at his death and resurrection with a fresh perspective. We need to be amazed at what Jesus did for us and we can identify with Mary and her humanness.”

A form of meditation will be used during the workshop as a method of looking at the Passion of Christ and the women who were closely affected by his actions, including Mary of Bethany, who washed Jesus’ feet, and the hemorrhaging women mentioned in the Gospel of Mark. Sister Schlosser said meditation is helpful to her and to how she looks at the story of Christ’s passion. It also teaches her to be grateful for what Jesus did for man.

She said she also will help the group reflect on the day after Jesus died and before he rose again. What were the women whose lives were changed by Jesus thinking and feeling that day? What might they have said to each other? What was going through Mary’s mind?

“We will be reviewing and expanding on how Jesus affected so many lives and what they were thinking” after his death, Sister Schlosser continued. “I try to put a little flesh on it. There was sadness and appreciation and the awe they had for this man who changed all of their lives. I try to imagine what they might have said to each other” in the days following his arrest.

The evening also will discuss the resurrection of Jesus because it centers on the great love God has for mankind and because it was the resurrection that made Jesus’ death so special.

Sister Schlosser has been speaking in public for 35 years and is a staff member of the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien. She holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, a master’s degree in religious education, a certificate in spiritual direction and a doctorate in ministry, yet she admits that every day there is something new to learn. She said she is always reading new books to acquire fresh information and topics for her 100-plus speaking engagements every year.

“I do a lot of reading,” she explained. “So many books and so little time. You read a book and it may give you an idea and then you do your own reflection on it. It can be a challenge to try to come up with new things to talk about, but I always ask God to inspire it. I like to blame God” for the topics that are created into workshops or retreat lectures, Sister Schlosser said.

“I have been speaking full time since 1988 and I just love it. I like people’s eagerness to learn about their faith and to delve into what’s out there. I meet some really wonderful people who are there because they want to enrich their faith.”