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We can trace devotion to Our
Lady of Sorrows back to apostolic times. St. John the Evangelist, whom we
can consider as one of the first devotees of the Mother of Sorrows,
witnessed first-hand and then recorded in his Gospel that Mary stood by
the Cross of her Son (Jn 19:25). There on Calvary the Blessed Mother
suffered—overwhelmed with grief at seeing her Son, who is also her God,
die an agonizing death by crucifixion.
At the Presentation of the Infant Jesus at the Temple, Simeon
prophesied that Mary’s soul would be pierced by a sword so that the
thoughts of many hearts would be revealed (Lk 2:35). Mary, as the first
and greatest disciple of her Son, participated in a most deep and profound
way in the redemptive work of Our Lord.
Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows flowered during the Middle Ages. The
well-known medieval hymn Stabat Mater beautifully expresses this devotion
to the sorrowing Blessed Virgin Mary at Calvary:
At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Our Lady of Sorrows is traditionally depicted in art dressed in black
with seven swords piercing her heart. These seven swords symbolize the
chief seven sorrows of Our Lady’s life. Devotion to the Sorrows of Mary
gave rise to the figure in Christian art of the Pietà, the sorrowing
Mother holding the dead Body of her Son who has been taken down from the
Cross.
Different sorrows of Mary have been honored in the Church’s history,
but since the 14th century these seven have come to be regarded as the
seven dolors (sorrows) of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon.
2. The Flight into Egypt.
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days.
4. Meeting Jesus on the Way to Calvary.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross.
7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb.
Note the Christological and scriptural foundation of the devotion to the
Seven Sorrows of Mary.
By commemorating Our Lady of Sorrows, we call to mind the sufferings
that Mary endured as part of her vocation as the Mother of the Redeemer.
No one is closer to Christ than Mary, consequently no one has participated
more intimately in the redemptive suffering of Christ than His Mother
Mary.
Mary suffered because of her intimate union with Christ, on account of
our sins, and in behalf of her spiritual children. Devotion to the Mother
of Sorrows and the Seven Sorrows of Mary encourages us to flee from sin
and inflames our desire to do penance and make reparation so as to console
the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Traditionally, many Catholics have said
every day seven Hail Marys in honor of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. O
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us who have recourse to
thee.
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