Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows Th (Memorial September 15 )
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Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows th (Memorial September 15 ) “And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.” – Gospel of Luke 2:35 Our sojourn in this life is comprised of many joys and many sorrows. It is ultimately an encounter with the Cross and an opportunity to love the One who made us and calls us to share in a life of everlasting peace. Our path to the ‘Pearly Gates’ is effectively walked through the formation of the heart. We might ask ourselves, “What is the disposition of my heart?” The pathway to the heart is peppered with many tests of faith and challenges of charity. Will we allow the Holy Spirit to mould our hearts into true likenesses of Christ or will we give way to fear and mediocrity and so scurry away from the Light because it is too bright? Are we willing to pick up our Cross, or to stand by those who are suffering in their hour of need? As we seek a deeper understanding of the nature of God and of the unique relationship He desires with each one of us, we will, quite naturally, be drawn to him in the Sacraments. It is there that we encounter him in the most intimate way and allow Him to form our hearts and fill us with His supernatural strength, thereby deepening our capacity to love. To witness the suffering of a loved one is a heavy Cross and indeed requires special grace. Ah, if I could only take some of their pain away! If I could just take their place. And yet, our faith teaches us that we actually have a great power, if only we turn to our Lord. It is the power of prayer. It is the presence of mind to recognize in those terrible moments the necessity of the sacraments and encouraging the suffering soul to make a good and holy confession; to receive the spiritual strength of the anointing of the sick; and to be fortified by receiving the Eucharist. We have the power to surround the person with love through our devotions and ask our Lord to heal and protect the soul of our loved one. We may actually share in their suffering in our hearts and so bring grace and consolation to their battle. In this way, we become an extension of the loving hands of Mary, who shared in the suffering of her Son. Anyone who has guarded the bedside of a loved one enduring the pain of cancer or any terrible illness certainly understands this grief. Mary experienced this as she witnessed the Passion of Her Son. In Her spiritual martyrdom, Mary shared in the Passion of Jesus. The Saints declare that Her suffering was greater than all the suffering of the rest of mankind put together and that She could only endure it by a special grace. St. Basil remarked: “As the sun surpasses all the stars in luster, so the sorrows of Mary surpass all the tortures of the martyrs.” St. Alphonsus put it this way: “Two hung upon one Cross” – in other words, Mary suffered the Passion of Her Son, spiritually. Imagine the sufferings Jesus endured throughout His Passion knowing the utter torment it caused in His Mother’s heart. And yet, through Her spiritual union with Jesus in His suffering, Mary would be united with Him in His mission of Redemption. What suffering She endured through the bitter attacks of hate and apathy against Her innocent Son. The Prophet Simeon had spoken of this terrible “Sword of Sorrow” that would pierce Her heart when he met them in the Temple thirty-three years earlier. Mary carried that suffering in her heart throughout her life and received the wounds of her Son, in Her Soul. Indeed, the Sorrows and Tears of Mary have been contemplated by the Church from the very moment she experienced them. St. John the Evangelist, standing beside Her at the foot of the Cross, witnessed her torment and then took her into his care. Throughout the centuries, prayers, devotions, feast days, even mystical experiences by various Saints, and the Foundation of a Religious Order concerning our Lady’s Sorrows have helped the Church deepen its understanding of the role of Mary in our own spiritual th journey to God. Each year, on September 15 , we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary on a feast known as Our Lady of Sorrows. It follows the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on th September 14 - so closely united are the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The contemplations of the Sorrows of our Lady led to great devotion to her sacrifice and suffering. In 1233, a group of seven men living in Florence left their trade and the comforts of the world and began to live a life of poverty, penance and prayer. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared them and called them to devote their lives to God. They were given the grace of a second apparition and Mary appeared to them to direct their path. “In her hands she held a black habit; a multitude of angles surrounded her, some bearing the different instruments of the Passion, one holding the Rule of St. Augustine, whilst another offered with one hand a scroll, on which appeared the title of Servants of Mary surrounded by golden rays, and with the other a palm branch. She addressed to them the following words: ‘I have chosen you to be my first Servants, and under this name you are to till my Son's Vineyard. Here, too, is the habit which you are to wear; its dark color will recall the pangs which I suffered on the day when I stood by the Cross of my only Son. Take also the Rule of St. Augustine, and may you, bearing the title of my Servants, obtain the palm of everlasting life’”(Catholic Encyclopedia). They became known and The Servites, that is, The Order of Friars Servants of Mary (OSM’s). The Order was solemnly approved by Pope Alexander IV on March 23, 1256, and the seven founders of the Order were canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. There are several devotions and prayers concerning the Sorrows and Tears of Mary. The Devotion known as The Seven Sorrows of Mary has been prayed from at least the early 1300’s. The Seven Sorrows include: 1. The Prophecy of Simeon; 2. The Flight into Egypt; 3. Losing the Child Jesus in the Temple for three days when he was 12 years old; 4. Mary meets Jesus was He carried the Cross; 5. Jesus dies on the Cross; 6. Taking the Body of Jesus down from the Cross and laying Him in the arms of Mary; and 7. Jesus is placed in the Tomb. There is a meditative prayer for each sorrow followed by the Hail Mary. Another devotion is known as The Rosary of the Seven (Dolors) Sorrows. There is a special Rosary made with seven medals – one for each Sorrow – followed by seven beads. The Our Father is prayed on the medal followed by the Hail Mary seven times for each Sorrow. The Devotion concludes with the Hail Mary three times in honor of our Lady’s tears. Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother by Tan Publishing is recommended for a fuller explanation of the various prayers and devotions, as well as the Seven Promises given to St. Bridget by our Lady for those who pray this devotion. Our Blessed Mother revealed to the mystic, St. Bridget (d.1373, founder of the Order of St. Bridgit of Sweden) “No matter how numerous a person's sins may be, if he turns to me with a sincere purpose of amendment, I am prepared forthwith to receive him graciously, for I do not regard the number of sins he has committed, but look only upon the dispositions with which he comes to me; for I feel no aversion in healing his wounds, because I am called and am in truth the Mother of Mercy.” As we contemplate the Triumph of the Cross and praise our Lord for His victory over sin and death, may we look to the foot of that Cross and bring comfort to our Sorrowful Mother by meditating on her love and devotion to the Redeemer of mankind. As we stand beside our Lady, we will bring joy to our Lord. .