Our Lady of Sorrows, Feast Day, September 15, 2023
1 Tm 1: 1-2, 12-14; Ps 16:1-2, 5, 7-9, 11; Jn 19:25-27
Today marks the feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows. It is a day we honor the Virgin Mary of the seven sorrows she endured during Jesus’s life and ultimate crucifixion. They are: The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple; the Flight into Egypt; Jesus being Lost in Jerusalem; the Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the way to Calvary; the Crucifixion; the taking of Jesus’ Body from the Cross; and His burial. If we think our lives are tough, all we need to do is meditate on the Seven Sorrows of Mary and our own sorrows will seem miniscule in comparison.
As we contemplate on them, we can begin to understand that Mary is also there with us. She understands our struggles and our pains. Through her understanding, we can begin to see how God’s plan for her will also relate to God’s plan for us. Through her intercessions, she will bring our petitions to God and place them at His feet. Mary will be there always for us, alongside of us, and interceding for us.
Through Mary’s sufferings, we can also see her faith and how she trusted and believed throughout all the trials she and Her son were put through. It is a time for us to enact that faith and persevere just like she did. Our faith, and Mary’s, will be there to carry us through even in the darkest times. By praying the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows or the Litany of Our Lady of Sorrows, our daily life can change, and our own sorrows will be shared amongst many, especially with Mary. Just as Mary remained faithful to God in the midst of her sorrows, we, too, are called to have faith and trust in God’s plan for us.
Saint James Catholic Church 