My dear friends in Christ, Today’s first reading from the Book of Sirach casts light on an important aspect of our faith that bears repeating over and over; we are called to be a people of forgiveness and mercy just as our God is pure mercy and forgiveness itself. Sirach calls all to “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins?” (Sirach 28: 2-4). In the act of granting forgiveness, we are not saying that what was done was right, just or necessary. What we are saying is that we are not going to allow someone else’s sin or even our own sin to chain us anymore. I can speak from firsthand experience in my own life that when I held unforgiveness, malice, anger and rancor toward someone I was the one much poorer for it. It took more time than I would have expected to allow myself to be vulnerable before The Lord and let him take the chains of anger and unforgiveness and cast them into the sea of his mercy. What a glorious and freeing day that was! Just as Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel the measure of God’s forgiveness is limitless (seventy times seven was a turn of phrase that got the point across that we need to be boundless in mercy just as God is). It is possible to be this loving, this forgiving and this merciful even in the midst of hardships and sorrow. For an example of this we turn, as one often does, to Our Lady for example of love. The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. Her feast day is celebrated this week on the Tuesday the 15th. Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady has its roots in Sacred Scripture and in Christian piety, which always associates the Blessed Mother with her suffering Son. The feast was introduced by the Servite Order in directive to intensify devotion to Our Lady's Sorrows. In 1817 Pius VII — suffering grievously in exile but finally liberated by Mary's intercession — extended the feast to the universal Church. This feast dates back to the 12th century. It was especially promoted by the Cistercians and the Servites, so much so that in the 14th and 15th centuries it was widely celebrated throughout the Catholic Church. In 1482 the feast was added to the Missal under the title of "Our Lady of Compassion." Pope Benedict XIII added it to the Roman Calendar in 1727 on the Friday before Palm Sunday. In 1913, Pope Pius X fixed the date on September 15. The title "Our Lady of Sorrows" focuses on Mary's intense suffering during the passion and death of Christ. "The Seven Dolors," the title by which it was celebrated in the 17th century, referred to the seven swords that pierced the Heart of Mary. The feast is like an octave for the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th. This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus. In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to wash away the sins of the whole world. As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung, the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven sorrows of Mary: The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35) The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50) Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17) Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30) The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37) The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47) Focusing on the compassion of our Blessed Mother Pope Saint John Paul II reminded the faithful that Mary Most Holy goes on being the loving consoler of those touched by the many physical and moral sorrows which afflict and torment humanity. She knows our sorrows and our pains, because she too suffered, from Bethlehem to Calvary. 'And thy soul to a sword shall pierce.' Mary is our Spiritual Mother, and the mother always understands her children and consoles them in their troubles. Then, she has that specific mission to love us, received from Jesus on the Cross, to love us only and always, so as to save us! Mary consoles us above all by pointing out the Crucified One and Paradise to us! (1980). Our Lady of Sorrows has been a source of consolation and peace in my own life, not only as a devotion but as that presence of a mother who knows her children’s pains and walks with them through them to lead them to Christ Jesus. She is also the Mother of Forgiveness for if anyone would have had the right to bear anger in her heart toward those who tormented and crucified her son it would have been Mary. But she does not allow vengeance and vindictiveness to take root in her heart. This does not mean she did not suffer; we call her the Queen of Martyrs for even though she did not shed her blood for the faith she knows all the pains of a martyrs suffering in bearing witness to the Passion of her Son. Through it all she held onto the promises of God and honestly accompanied Christ on the way to Calvary. She still accompanies us, her children, during our Calvary moments. I highly encourage you to look into this devotion and help others know the comfort and power of Mary’s intercession, especially during these days when sorrow seems to have taken hold of many aspects of our lives. We must take comfort and hope that the sorrow of the cross always leads to the joy, wonder and resurrection of the empty tomb. May that hope burn in our heart always as we walk our pilgrimage of faith and help others on the way know the love and power of Christ. Pax et Gaudium (Peace & Joy), Fr. Rob .