Truly she stood by Jesus’ cross, when at the same time the pain of the cross crucified her mind and as manifold a sword pierced her own soul as she beheld the body of her Son pierced with wounds. Rightly therefore was she recognized as his Mother there and by his care entrusted to a suitable protector, in which both the mother’s unalloyed love for her Son and the Son’s kindness towards his Mother were proven to the utmost.
On other occasions he seemed as to ignore his Mother, whether at the wedding feast when she asked for a miracle and he answered: Nay, woman, why do you trouble me with that? or in the midst of his preaching when someone told him: Behold your Mother and your brethren are standing outside, asking for you, and he answered: Who is my mother? But he had to give such an answer to his Mother when she asked for a miracle in order to show that miracles came to him not from his Mother but from another source. And he could give no better answer to the man who interrupted the words of the Gospel by announcing his relatives than to demonstrate that spiritual things must come before those of the flesh.
It could not be that he spurned his Mother. Rather he was setting charity in order in us both by his words and by his example, teaching us to put before our affection for carnal attachments not only the love of God but also the love of those who do God’s will.
So Jesus demonstrates that Mary, who was his mother according to the flesh, is his mother in another way also, since she too so valued the Father’s will that the Father could foretell her: You shall be called “My Will is in Her”. Therefore where the Son seemed to ignore her, there he is found to have honored her the more; since the honor of the name of mother is doubled for her; she now bears in spirit as through inspiration the same Son whom she bore in her womb through incarnation.
Fourth Sermon for the Assumption by Guerric of Igny ( Liturgical Sermons, Book 2, CF 32; sermon 50: 1, 2)