St. Albert the Great said, “that as we are under great obligations to Jesus for His Passion endured for our love, so also are we under great obligations to Mary for the martyrdom which She voluntarily suffered for our salvation in the death of Her Son.” He said “voluntarily (suffered), since, as St. Agnes revealed to St. Bridget, ‘our compassionate and benign Mother was satisfied rather to endure any torment than that our souls should not be redeemed.’”
“The martyrs endured their torments in their bodies; Mary suffered Hers in Her soul.” …St. Alphonsus de Liguori. “Now, as the soul is more noble than the body, so much greater were Mary’s sufferings than those of all the martyrs, as Jesus Christ Himself said to St. Catherine of Siena: ‘Between the sufferings of the soul and those of the body there is no comparison.’”
“Jesus Christ Himself revealed to Blessed Veronica of Binasco, that, He is more pleased in seeing His Mother compassionated than Himself.” He said to her: ‘My daughter, tears shed for My Passion are dear to Me; but as I loved My Mother Mary with an immense love, the
meditation on the torments which She endured at My death is even more agreeable to Me.
We can see that this devotion dates back to the early church, as witnessed by St. John’s emphasis on Mary in His Gospel. There are stories that John was visited by Mary often after her death and she encouraged him to remember her own sorrows along with Jesus’.
The Feast of the Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated September 15th and the Friday before Palm Sunday.
In this devotion of the 7 Sorrows of Mary, we remember and honor the fact that she suffered along with her son, playing an active role in our Redemption.
Graces and promises attached to the practice of the devotion in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sorrowing:
According to St. Alphonsus de Liguori (The Glories of Mary) it wasrevealed to Saint Elizabeth that at the request of Our Lady, Our Lord promised four principal graces to those devoted to Her Sorrows:
1. That those who before death invoke the divine Mother in thename of Her Sorrows will obtain true repentance of all their sins;
2. That He will protect all who have this devotion in their tribulations,and will protect them especially at the hour of death;
3. That He will impress on their minds the remembrance of HisPassion;
4. That He will place such devout servants in Mother Mary’s hands
to do with them as She wishes and to obtain for them all thegraces She desires.
In addition to these four graces there are also seven promises attached to the practice of daily praying seven Hail Mary’s while meditating onOur Lady’s Tears and Sorrows. These seven promises were revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden:
1. “I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about the divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”
4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does notoppose the adorable will of My divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”
5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death — they will see the face of their Mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from My divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to My tears and sorrows will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and My Son will be their eternal consolation
and joy.”
The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows (aka Little Rosary) is prayed very similarly to a rosary; You may pray one mystery a day or all mysteries in one day; Or you may pray One Hail Mary for every mystery.
Tobit 4:3-4 says, “Honor your mother and do not abandon her as long as she lives. Do whatever pleases her...Remember, my son that she went through many trials for your sake…” Just as we all here would honor our earthly mothers, because of the life and sacrifices they gave FOR US; so we should honor our heavenly mother. Mary is the mother of our souls. Jesus himself gave her to us before his death on the Cross, ordering John to take her into his home; so we should take her as our own mother. In this devotion, we honor her sufferings for our sake, we have compassion on her and we increase our love for her and for her son.
If you have your Bible handy, read Luke 2:25-35, the account of the Presentation in the Temple.
Luke depicts Mary and Joseph as very faithful Jewish family; faithful observers of the Law of the Lord.”Their purification” refers to the legal impurity of a woman who has just given birth. She is impure (unable to touch anything sacred or having to do with the Temple) for 40 days. So her offering of turtledoves and pigeons is for her own purity’s sake (which is ironic b/c she is actually always pure, by way of her Immaculate Conception). This is a very joyous occasion, presenting their Son in the Temple. I liken it to the joy that we experience when we bring our own children to the Sacrament of Baptism. They have just experienced the pure innocence of the infant Jesus for 40 days. I remember those first few months with our firstborn. So very special; every little move they make is magical!And just imagine this being the Son of God!
So here they are, proud parents, presenting their son to God in the Temple; excited to pass down the rich tradition of their faith to Him. And here comes Simeon...affirming, yet again, like Elizabeth, like the shepherd and wise men, that this small infant is the Messiah, “the light to the Gentiles and the glory” of the people Israel. But Simeon brings a new twist...Mary’s heart will be pierced by a sword as “this child” will be a sign that is contradicted.Sign that is contradicted: I think of Palm Sunday, when Jesus rides into Jerusalem to the proclamation “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord” then only to be handed over, put on trial and crucified the next week, mocked and condemned by the same people who hailed him as king.
The temple was built on the spot that, tradition tells us, Mount Moriah was, where Abraham attempted to sacrifice his son. Here at this same spot Mother Mary comes to offer HER SON to the Father.Abraham’s son was spared, yet Mary’s son will not be spared. Mary KNOWS this, she is a good Jewish girl who knows the prophecies, yet she stands there quietly. She doesn’t protest, she doesn’t ask Simeon to clarify what he was saying. Her knowledge of the prophecies is most likely confirmed by Simeon. Isaiah is a major prophet in Israel and he prophesied of a Suffering Servant…(ch.53) “See, my servant shall prosper, he shall be raised high and greatly exalted...He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed to infirmity...Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he endured...but he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we are healed…” She is ACCEPTING what Simeon is saying to her; she is accepting God’s will. She is accepting her son’s future.
She knows it is the Will of God that her Son must die for all people; for herself and for the freedom of many. In this moment, Mary is realizing the irony of the Cross, that it will “pierce her heart” with intense suffering, her beautiful, beloved son will suffer, yet their suffering will win freedom for all people; Ironic! Mary’s love for Jesus is so pure, so intense; thus her suffering in watching him suffer was magnified as well. Her love for Jesus is natural; like any of us who are mothers here love our children. But her love for him is supernatural as well. Jesus was her Son but He is also her God; Her Messiah. And I truly do believe she knew all of this at this point; she knew He was the Messiah; HER messiah.
Luke 2:19 says, “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.”This is my favorite Scripture verse because I believe it tells us so much about Mary. So many things were happening in her life; big, monumental, history changing things were happening. Yet, she keeps them all in her heart, accepting them with dignity and with a prayerful heart.
In Mass on Sunday evening, Fr. Emilio was speaking about the Transfiguration and how Peter, James, and John were present. Fr. Emilio pointed out that these men were very special men to Jesus and to His plan of salvation, for Peter was the first Pope, John wrote the gospel and Revelation, and James was the first to be martyred among the Apostles. Instantly, I thought of MY OWN James baby boy. My thought was, “What if he is martyred” (in this day and age, I am not counting it out!). I am not kidding you, my tired mommy mind started playing out this dramatic scene of watching him run around smiling, then to being martyred, tortured, killed for the faith. I instantly almost started BALLING! And my first gut reaction was, “No, Lord, no!” I know if either of my babies, or hubby, ever has to experience suffering in their life, I know that I will question God, I will doubt him. Even if just for a bit. I will be hesitant to accept suffering. But what makes Mary so different here? How can she stand tall and accept what Simeon is prophesying?
I believe it is her purity; her Immaculate Conception makes her free from sin. It is natural for her to accept God’s will because there is nothing in the way of blocking her soul from giving herself to Him at all times. But I also believe that because of this purity, she experienced intense suffering. Yes, she accepts what Simeon has to say to her, but her heart breaks. This instant happens when Jesus is one month old. She now knows that his suffering could occur at any time. For I believe that Mary was able to accept God’s will - for it was His will that His Son be offered as a Sacrificial Lamb for our sins - but I don’t think she KNEW IN ADVANCE what His WILL was. She didn’t know the timeline of events; she couldn’t see the future. And I do have to put it out there this is my own opinion, the conclusion I’ve arrived at through prayer and contemplation.
“She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” She accepts God’s will as it is revealed to her throughout her life. The moment it is clear what His will is, she accepts and fully participates in His will. There is more significance to Christ’s death than His birth, and she now knows this, after Simeon’s prophecy.
So for 30 years, she experiences the irony of gazing upon the pure innocence of God, of getting to hear him, laugh with him, hug him, converse with him, serve him, yet “keeping these things in her heart” she suffers greatly, knowing what kind of destiny awaits her Son. But, in the quiet, simple days, she says “yes” to the suffering. She does not experience physical suffering, no, but probably something worse: emotional and spiritual suffering, as she can only imagine what her Son will one day experience. She is so united with her Son, so intimately caught up in Him, that her burning love for Him is also a burning love for us. That for 30 years, she unites her suffering to Her Father and she accepts it out of love FOR YOU AND ME, and she awaits the day when she will actively give herself and her Son for the sake of the world. Amen.
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