September 15th
If you’ve been Catholic long enough, you surely have seen an image of the Virgin Mary with tears in her eyes and seven swords, or perhaps just one, piercing her heart. She is often dressed in black or navy blue and sometimes is holding the body of Jesus or her hands clasped tightly to her chest. Her name is Our Lady of Sorrows. The image may seem a bit overwhelming. Or it may make us uncomfortable. Perhaps we want to turn away.
The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows flourished in the Middle Ages, and the hymn Stabat Mater was composed for it. Although officially celebrated today, the day after the Feast of the Exultation of the Holy Cross, popular devotion in many parts of the Mediterranean basin celebrate it with processions on the Friday before Holy Week.
Seven events from Scripture form the foundation of this devotion. The seven sorrows of Mary are: the prophecy of Simeon; the flight into Egypt; the loss of Jesus in the temple; Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary; Mary stands at the foot of the cross; Mary receives the body of Jesus; and Jesus’ body is placed in the tomb.
Reflecting on the Sorrows of Mary isn’t solely about honoring Mary’s pain. It’s about God lifting up the lowly and scattering the proud. It’s about cultivating empathy and compassion. It’s about helping everyone who carries a heavy load know that the Mother of God is on their side.
The seven sorrows are for the times when you know something terrible is on the horizon. How many years did Mary turn over the words of Simeon in her heart? “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, and many others to rise. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.”
The seven sorrows are for every mother and father terrified of losing their child. They are for every parent who walks hundreds or thousands of miles in hopes that they can save the most important person in the world from a terrible fate. They’re for every person haunted by a child’s traumatized eyes. Mary, the new mother who made a terrifying journey to evade soldiers hunting down newborns, carried the same wounds. She is with that child.
The seven sorrows are for everyone terrified of losing a loved one too soon. They’re for the person whose child may be physically absent, but always there. Mary, who anxiously searched for Jesus in the temple, wants to help every person place their trust in God, whatever the outcome.
The seven sorrows are for everyone who has been betrayed. A devout mother saw religious leaders among the crowd of people calling for her son’s violent death. Did she recognize anyone? Were former friends among the crowd? Did she see some of the same people who joyfully welcomed him into Jerusalem spitting and jeering at him as he fell from the weight of the heavy wooden beams?
Mary stood at the foot of the cross, watched Jesus die, then held his lifeless body. Did she prepare his body for burial? Or did she have friends to help her through it? What did she feel as his body was placed in a tomb donated by Joseph of Arimathea — perhaps a friend, but perhaps a stranger?
The seven sorrows are for everyone who has watched as a loved one suffer under the weight of an addiction or another disease. The seven sorrows are for everyone who has watched another person die, perhaps slowly or painfully. The seven sorrows are for the person who must not only make sure their loved one is properly buried but spend the ensuing weeks and months shifting through their loved one’s paperwork; choosing what to throw away, what to give away and what to keep; and trying to care for friends left behind.
Our Lady of Sorrows knows the pain. But Our Lady doesn’t want us to suffer. Mary is there to give us something to hold on to while we work through the sorrows of the world. September 15, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, is a good day to thank her.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!