As Jesus approaches Golgotha He notices a group of weeping women. It seems odd that He would turn to them and speak, and yet that is just what He does. In spite of being weakened by blood loss from the scourging, He uses whatever precious energy is left in His body to speak to  group of women. He redirects their intense grief away from Himself, and gives them permission to weep for themselves and their children. In this brief exchange Jesus validates the deep emotional response of these women of Jerusalem. How many of us, as mothers, have wept and prayed over our sick and hurting children? Our merciful Savior accepts, acknowledges, and affirms all the sorrows that mothers carry.