Homily #130322 ( 05min) Play – On this feast of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, Fr. Ignatius exhorts us to share in Jesus’ sorrows by carefully paying attention to the sorrows of Our Lady and offering ours with Hers.

Ave Maria!
Mass: Commemoration of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Ferial – Form: EF, Stabant Iuxta
Readings: 
1st: jth 13:22,23-25
Gsp: joh 19:25-27

Audio (MP3)

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Ave Maria!

At the Archdiocese of Indianapolis Day of Reflection at the Mother of the Redeemer Retreat Center, Beth Leonard, author of “The Seven Sorrows Bible Study For Catholics”, gives a series of reflections on the Seven Sorrows of Mary which she augments with a PowerPoint slide show and then leads the group in a recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, complete with meditations. This is a great way to start Lent with Our Lady!

To learn more about her books: http://www.bethleonardbooks.com/

Seven Sorrows from Wikipedia:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35)
2. The escape and Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem. (Luke 2:43–45)
4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Via Dolorosa.
5. The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary. (John 19:25)
6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross. (Matthew 27:57–59)
7. The Burial of Jesus by Joseph of Arimathea. (John 19:40–42)

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THE SEVEN SORROWS DEVOTION

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary’s and meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). The devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:

·         I will grant peace to their families.

·         They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.

·         I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.

·         I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.

·         I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.

·         I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

·         I have obtained from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

SEVEN SORROWS

·         The prophecy of Simeon. (St. Luke 2:34, 35)

·         The flight into Egypt. (St. Matthew 2:13, 14)

·         The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple. (St. Luke 2: 43-45)

·         The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross.

·         The Crucifixion.

·         The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross.

·         The burial of Jesus.

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The Fifth Sword of Sorrow:  Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross
(John 19:25-27)

“They crucified Him. Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, His Mother. When Jesus therefore had seen His Mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, He saith to His Mother: Woman: behold thy son. After that he saith to the disciple: Behold thy Mother.”

Meditation: Look, devout soul, look to Calvary, whereon are raised two altars of sacrifice, one on the body of Jesus, the other on the heart of Mary. Sad is the sight of that dear Mother drowned in a sea of woe, seeing her beloved Son, part of her very self, cruelly nailed to the shameful tree of the cross. Ah me! how every blow of the hammer, how every stripe which fell on the Savior’s form, fell also on the disconsolate spirit of the Virgin. As she stood at the foot of the cross, pierced by the sword of sorrow, she turned her eyes on Him, until she knew that He lived no longer and had resigned His spirit to His Eternal Father. Then her own soul was like to have left the body and joined itself to that of Jesus.

Prayer: Beloved Mother, Queen of the Martyrs, give us the courage you had in all your sufferings so that we may unite our sufferings with yours and give glory to God. Help us follow all His commandments and those of the Church so that Our Lord’s sacrifice will not be in vain, and all sinners in the world will be saved.      

(Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Marys)

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The Sixth Sword of Sorrow:  Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus in Her Arms (Mark 15: 43-46)

“Joseph of Arimathea, a noble counselor, came and went in boldly to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. And Joseph buying fine linen, and taking Him down, wrapped Him up in the fine linen.”

Meditation: Consider the most bitter sorrow which rent the soul of Mary, when she saw the dead body of her dear Jesus on her knees, covered with blood, all torn with deep wounds. O mournful Mother, a bundle of myrrh, indeed, is thy Beloved to thee. Who would not pity thee? Whose heart would not be softened, seeing affliction which would move a stone? Behold John not to be comforted, Magdalen and the other Mary in deep affliction, and Nicodemus, who can scarcely bear his sorrow.

Prayer: We thank you, Beloved Mother, for your courage as you stood beneath your dying Child to comfort Him on the Cross. As our Savior drew His last breath, you became a wonderful Mother to all of us; you became the Blessed Mother of the world. We know that you love us more than our own earthly parents do. We implore you to be our advocate before the Throne of Mercy and Grace so that we can truly become your children. We thank you for Jesus, our Savior and Redeemer, and we thank Jesus for giving you to us. Please pray for us, Mother.                                

(Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Marys)

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The Seventh Sword of Sorrow: The Body of Jesus is Placed in the Tomb                (John 19:41-42)

“Now there was in the place where He was crucified, a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, wherein no man yet had been laid. There, therefore, because of the parasceve of the Jews, they laid Jesus, because the sepulcher was nigh at hand.”

Meditation: Consider the sighs which burst from Mary’s sad heart when she saw her beloved Jesus laid within the tomb. What grief was hers when she saw the stone lifted to cover that sacred tomb! She gazed a last time on the lifeless body of her Son, and could scarce detach her eyes from those gaping wounds. And when the great stone was rolled to the door of the sepulcher, oh, then indeed her heart seemed torn from her body!

Prayer: Most Beloved Mother, whose beauty surpasses that of all mothers, Mother of Mercy, Mother of Jesus, and Mother to us all, we are your children and we place all our trust in you. Teach us to see God in all things and all situations, even our sufferings. Help us to understand the importance of suffering, and also to know the purpose of our suffering as God had intended it. You yourself were conceived and born without sin, were preserved from sin, yet you suffered more than anybody else . You accepted suffering and pain with love and with unsurpassed courage. You stood by your Son from the time He was arrested until He died. You suffered along with Him, felt His every pain and torment. You accomplished the Will of God the Father; and according to His will, you have become our Mother. We beg you, dear Mother, to teach us to do as Jesus did. Teach us to accept our cross courageously. We trust you, most Merciful Mother, so teach us to sacrifice for all the sinners in the world. Help us to follow in your Son’s footsteps, and even to be willing to lay down our lives for others.                            

(Pray 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Marys)

Concluding Prayer of the Seven Sorrows Rosary: Queen of Martyrs, your heart suffered so much. I beg you, by the merits of the tears you shed in these terrible and sorrowful times, to obtain for me and all the sinners of the world the grace of complete sincerity and repentance. Amen.

Three times say: Mary, who was conceived without sin and who suffered for us, pray for us.

The post The Seventh Sorrow of Our Lady first appeared on AirMaria.com.

  1. Our Lady will grant peace to their families.
  2.They will be enlightened about the Divine mysteries.
  3. She will console them in their pains and accompany them in their work.
  4. Our Lady will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of her Divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
  5. She will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and  protect them at every instant of their lives.
  6. Our Lady will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
  7. She obtained this Grace from her Divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to her tears and dolors, (sorrows) will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and her Son and she I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

Benefits of the  Devotion to the Mother of Sorrows:

1. To realize the value of a soul, worth the supreme Sacrifice on Calvary.
2. To work for souls, by evangelization, duty to life’s duties, and prayer for sinners.
3. To pray always, in a life of union with God; whoever has a heart similar to Jesus’ and Mary’s hearts, will work for the salvation of souls.

When we commit sin we bring sorrow to Our Lady, for she is, indeed our very Mother, our spiritual Mother, and she watches over us as she watched over her Baby, nearly two thousand years ago.

It is the desire of Jesus that we should think of His Passion, to offer Him our devotion and to renew our sorrow for sin. It is also His desire, as the Church makes clear to us, that we should think of the compassion of Mary in His Passion.

History:

The purpose of the Devotion of the Seven Sorrows is to promote union with the sufferings of Christ through union with the special suffering that Our Lady endured because she was the Mother of God. By uniting ourselves with both the Passion of Christ and His holy Mother, we enter into Jesus’ Heart and honor Him greatly; He is more honored because we have so honored His Mother.

The Seven Dolors are taken from Scripture events and the devotion has a long history, although it was not officially promulgated by the Church until the early nineteenth century. Before Pope Pius VII’s formal approval, the Servite Order had permission in 1668 to celebrate the Feast of the Seven Dolors because the Order was instrumental in popularizing the Seven Sorrows Devotion.

In the Middle Ages, Catholic theology concentrated mostly on Christ’s Passion; at the side of the Man of Sorrows, however, the faithful always contemplated the Queen of Martyrs. Devotion to the Crucified Christ and to Our Lady of sorrows grew side by side. On Calvary there were in a sense two altars, one in the Body of Jesus, and the other in the Immaculate Heart. Christ immolated His flesh, Mary, her heart, her own soul. On September 15, the day following the ancient feast of the Holy Cross, the Church commemorates the compassion of Mary; but it is fitting during the year, especially during Lent, to honor the Sorrows of Mary.

Mary is not mentioned in the Gospel accounts of Christ’s Transfiguration, His entry into Jerusalem, but she is recorded as being present at Calvary. She understood what the Will of God was and was faithful, co-operating with her Son as Co-redemptrix. She had prepared the victim for sacrifice and now she offered Him on the altar of Calvary.

The Gospel, John 19:25, says: “Near the Cross of Jesus stood His mother, his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Cleopas, and Mary Magdalene.” At Christ’s bequest, Mary was proclaimed the universal Mother of mankind from the Cross.

Mary had three loves in her Immaculate Heart: God, her Son, and souls. She so loved the world that she gave her only Son. As St. Bernard said, “The sword would not have reached Jesus if it had not pierced Mary’s heart.” Mary loved souls and on Calvary, after suffering such cruel torments she merited being the mother of all mankind.

Mary is the Apostle because she is Co-redemptrix: Behold Mary on Calvary, she suffers and prays; she stands, as one offering sacrifice.

St. Ambrose said, “I read that she stood, but I do not read that she wept.” When Mary gave us her Son, she gave us everything. Therefore it can very well be said: “Behold this heart which has so greatly loved all people that it has spared nothing for them.”
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/7sorrows.htm

To hear the Seven Sorrows Rosary: https://watch.formed.org/the-seven-sorrows-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary/videos/the-seven-sorrows-of-the-blessed-virgin-mary-servite-rosary

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