Stabat Mater...

~~~ Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows ~~~

~~~ Hebrews 5:7-9  ~~~ Psalm 101 ~~~ Luke 2:33-35 ~~~ 

Little did Mary know when the angel appeared before her 

that her life would be filled with so much pain and sorrow.

Unlike many of us, when the pain and suffering 

pierced her heart she did not cry out...'Why me?'

The precious words of the Stabat Mater says it all.

At the cross her station keeping,

Stood the mournful Mother weeping,

Close to Jesus to the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,

All his bitter anguish bearing,

Now at length the sword had passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed

Was that Mother highly blessed

Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,

She beneath beholds the pangs

Of her dying, glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,

‘Whelmed in miseries so deep,

Christ’s dear Mother to behold?

We cannot pretend that her pain was not as real

 as any pain we have experienced

Mary was warned that a sword would pierce her heart.

A sword is long...a sword is sharp...

a sword pierces deep into the flesh...

a sword rips apart the skin...

a sword leaves a gaping wound...

a sword releases large amounts of blood...

a sword is capable of causing death.

Mary experienced all of this within her heart.

She carried within her heart all of the pain 

and sorrow inflicted upon her son, Jesus.

Mary remained true, loyal, strong, brave, and steadfast

 to loving her son until his very last breath.

The great sorrows of Mary teach us 

just how much love is able to endure.

Mary could have fled or gone into hiding in fear of her own life,

but we have no evidence in support of that theory.

O sweet Mother! font of love,

Touch my spirit from above,

Make my heart with yours accord.

Make me feel as you have felt;

Make my soul to glow and melt

With the love of Christ, my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through,

In my heart each wound renew

Of my Savior crucified.

Let me share with you his pain,

Who for all our sins was slain,

Who for me in torments died.

Let me mingle tears with you,

Mourning him who mourned for me,

All the days that I may live.

By the cross with you to stay,

There with you to weep and pray,

Is all I ask of you to give.

Virgin of all virgins blest!

Listen to my fond request:

Let me share your grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath,

In my body bear the death

Of that dying Son of yours.

I invite you to pray the Stabat Mater today.

Let each verse fall upon your heart as if you were beside Mary.

Draw the strength you need from her

to make your own personal sorrowful journey.

We are Blessed to have the most caring, 

loving, and compassionate mother by our side.

Our Lady of Sorrows,

pray for us.

~~~Peace~~~

Her Pierced Heart

~~~  Our Lady of Sorrows ~~~
~~~ 1 Corinthians 11:17-26, 33 ~~~ Psalm 40 ~~~
~~~ John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35 ~~~

Every mother knows their life will be punctuated with
joys and sorrows; Mary was no different.
As a mother you pray that the joys will be
greater than the sorrows.

The greatest sorrow for any mother is to survive
the death of one of her children.
In the Blessed Mother's case, her only child.
Mary was warned in the temple by Simeon
when Jesus was just an infant.

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
“Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce

The language here is so brutally descriptive...a sword will pierce.
This sword which literally pierced the side of Jesus
would pierce the heart of his mother.
A mother can not separate herself from her child's suffering.
A mother would gladly change places with her child
 to spare him/her such pain and suffering.
Mary was not allowed to make such an exchange with her son.

Try to imagine the tears Mary must have cried as she
and Joseph carried their young son from the temple that solemn day.

For thirty-three years even the joy she experienced
was clouded by the words of the prophets.

Until the day comes when she finds herself
standing in the crowded street as her son passes by.
He is bloody and barely able to carry the heavy cross.

The Roman guards taunt him, call him names.
They strike his body with their leather whips;
her heart is over flowing with sorrow.

Each time you find yourself struck with sorrow turn to Our Lady.
She can give you comfort. She understands.
 She has had her heart helplessly pierced right before her face. 

Turn to Our Lady in times of sorrow she
can bring you peace.

She watched as her son, Jesus, surrendered his body
 without resistance until the last drop of blood
 flowed forth from his body.

She watched knowing that she would have to go
on living without her beloved Son.

She knew the great sorrow of accepting
 what she could not change.

Come to her in pray when you are facing sorrow.
She will give you the grace to move forward as she did.
She believed in her Son.
She believed in his message.
She believed he was sent by God
 to redeem the world.
She lived in the unfolding of the prophecy.
She lived with the piercing sword of sorrow
 deep within her heart.
We never need to be alone in times of sorrow, she is there with us.
May Our Lady of Sorrow, bless you with comfort.

~~~Peace~~~

The Presentation of Sorrows

Our Lady of Sorrows

 

~~~ 1 Cor 10: 14-22 ~~~ Psalm 116 ~~~ Luke 2: 33-35 ~~~

 

"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

 

This prophecy of Simeon was the beginning of Mary's sorrowful life.

Today the church is calling to our attention the facet of Mary's life that is not unlike our own. We are all faced with sorrows in our lives...deaths, disappointments, losses are just a few. Mary's life was surely filled with many joys as well.

It is by design that this feast immediately follows the Exultation of the Cross.

Without a doubt Mary's greatest sorrow was the violent brutal death of her son, Jesus.

She silently accepted her sorrows holding them close to her heart.

 

At the Annunciation when she answered 'yes'

she have little if any understanding about

what the future would bring for her.

 

When Mary and Joseph made the presentation of their baby, Jesus,

in the temple Mary had no idea she would be told such heart piercing words.

These words were spoken to her from a respected person

but yet Simeon was a stranger.

I wonder if Mary's first reaction was to discount his words.

Being a mother myself I am sure they were not

words she expected to hear.

 

I remember being a new mother myself.

Our first child had a serious intestinal birth defect.

At only nine days of age he needed life saving surgery.

The next six weeks following his delicate surgery were spent in the NICU.

 

Mary had given birth to a health baby boy so these words were more difficult to believe. Her initial sorrows were not manifested with external signs.

In the final hours before the death of Jesus the sorrows of Mary were sorely visible.

Others around her, who loved Jesus and her, were also filled with sorrow.

For Mary as his mother her sorrow must have been extremely painful. She may have even felt some physical pain due to the intensity of her emotional pain.

 

 

We know from the scriptures the many times when Mary was plunged into sorrow.

The sorows she experienced have made her the perfect person for us.

When we are in the midst of our sorrows it is comforting to go to her.

Talk with Mary in your prayer time...she understands...as only a mother can.

She knows the hidden sorrows that lie within your heart.

She knows the visible effects of deep sorrows.

 

There is so much we can learn from how Mary moved through

her life with her sorrows.

She never tried to deny or ignore her sorrows.

She bore them fully and totally in her heart.

She tempered them with the promise of heaven.

She believed that she would be reunited with her son, Jesus, in heaven.

 

Mary is full of love and compassion for you.

Bring her your sorrows asking her for the wisdom to accept

and the courage to persevere.

 

"You need endurance to do the will of God

and receive what he has promised."

Hebrews 10: 36

 

I invite you to read the Stabat Mater prayer today

which summarizes the great sorros of Mary.

You may also want to pray the

Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary today.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for us.