Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
- Deacon Dan DeLuca
- Sep 15, 2022
- 5 min read
Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This particular memorial was first placed in the Roman Missal in 1482. It was inserted into the liturgical calendar in 1814 and Pope Pius X later made September 15 its permanent date. At its core, the memorial commemorates what all mothers know and experience: when your child suffers you suffer right along side them. This was especially true of our Blessed Mother Mary. Mary suffered quietly alongside her son. As we honor her suffering today we also take a moment to consider how Mother Mary can help us to embrace the suffering that is part of our lives with the same quiet strength with which she embraced her own.
Gospel – Luke 2:33-35
And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary, “Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and as a sign to be opposed— and a sword will pierce your own soul—to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Scriptural Analysis
The character of Simeon is an interesting one. Like so many biblical characters, we only hear of him in this short passage from Luke. He bears the name of one of the sons of Jacob and as a result one of the 12 tribes of Israel. He is described in the Gospel as being a righteous man, a term also used to describe Zechariah and Elizabeth. (Luke 2:25) The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die until he had, “seen the Lord’s Christ.” (Luke 2:26) The Spirit also guided him to be at the temple the day that Jesus and Mary came to present the Lord. (Luke 2:27) Simeon is definitely a man who walks with the Holy Spirit and obey’s the Spirit’s promptings.
In today’s Gospel passage we are presented with the end of the interaction between Simeon and The Holy Family. Simeon tells Mary and Joseph that Jesus is to be a sign that will “be opposed.” Other translations use the word contradicted. This is a foreshadowing of his Passion: the contradiction that the Son of God will have to suffer and die. Simeon also tells them that Jesus will be the “rise and fall of many” and that, “thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” This is a way of saying that there will be those who accept Jesus as the Christ and those who reject him. Through that acceptance or rejection it will be revealed if they accept or reject God. (Luke 10:16).
Then Simeon turns to Mary and tells here that a sword will pierce her heart. This phrase is used here to denote the two levels of suffering that Mary will endure. First there is the suffering Mary will endure alongside the suffering of her son. The second level of suffering is the sorrow Mary will endure at the sight of Israel being divide over her son. This dividing of Israel harkens back to a passage from The Prophet Ezekiel, “Or if I were to bring a sword on that country and say, ‘A sword is to pass through the country,’ and I eliminated human and animal life from it.” (14:17) The Greek word used in this passage for pass through is the same Greek word used for pierce when Simeon addresses Mary. Mary was a devout Jew who joined her people in anticipation of the Messiah. To see her people divided over him most certainly tore at her heart.
Application
Traditionally, it is understood that the suffering of Mary is not strictly limited to the passion and death event; rather, it encompasses the seven dolors or seven sorrows that Mary experienced throughout her life. These are:
The prophecy of Simeon.
The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt.
The finding of the child Jesus in the Temple.
Her meeting of Jesus on his way to Calvary.
Mary’s standing at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified.
Mary’s holding of Jesus when he was taken down from the cross.
The burial of Jesus.
The prophesy of Simeon, that a sword would pierce our Blessed Mother’s heart, was fulfilled in these seven events. That is why we often see Mary depicted with her heart exposed and seven swords piercing it. In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council wrote:
Thus the blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully preserved in her union with her Son until she stood at the cross, in keeping with the divine plan, suffering deeply with her only begotten Son, associating herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart, and lovingly consenting to the immolation of this victim who was born of her. (Lumen Gentium 58)
Notice how the Council Fathers specifically called out Mary’s loving consent. Mary did not seek out suffering. Rather, she sought to conform her will completely to the will of God. That means she willingly accepted whatever came her way including suffering. More than that, there was no reluctance in that acceptance but rather complete love as she surrendered fully to the will of God and trusted in his divine plan.
In Mary’s suffering we are given two gifts. First, Mary is an example of how one should approach suffering. Second, Mary is a powerful intercessor on our behalf when we do suffer. Let’s discuss the former gift first.
Throughout the entire New Testament Mary is never depicted as one who complains or grumbles. Nor do we see her at the foot of the cross in despair. We get form Mary, “Behold, the Lord’s bond-servant; may it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) Mary’s entire life was a yes to God. That yes gave her amazing grace and strength so that she could approach all of these sorrowful events with abundant love and trust. One of the most beautiful portrayals of Mary was by Romanian actress Maia Morgenstern in the 2004 movie The Passion of the Christ. In the film she is quiet, suffering right along side her son, but she never looses the gaze of love in her eyes nor does she ever appear hopeless. Mary had complete and total trust in God’s plan.
With regards to her roll as an intercessor, we know from John’s Gospel that Jesus gave Mary to be the mother of us all. (John 19:27) Just as she suffered at the sight of her son suffering she too suffers when any of her children suffer. In your suffering, turn to your Mom and ask for her intercession. Does that mean your suffering will be relieved? Not necessarily. God may know that the suffering you are going through is what you need to grow in virtue and holiness. However, it does mean you will have the love of a mother showered upon you as you learn from her how to embrace, with great love, the suffering in your life.
Take a moment today to share your suffering with Mary. Allow her to show you how to embrace that suffering with great joy. Then let her lead you deeper into the heart of her son: the heart of the very one who suffered most so that our suffering may result in our comfort and salvation.
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