Tuesday, September 1, 2020 –
Whew! I finished this month’s devotional in time. Go me!
Anyhoo, September brings us the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Catholics have honored Our Lady of Sorrows since the twelfth century by recognizing seven events in the life of Mary that caused her immense (great) sorrow. Our Holy Mother is often depicted with seven swords piercing her Immaculate Heart, each representing one of her seven sorrows:
- The prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of our Lord – Luke 2:25-35
- The flight into Egypt – Matthew 2:13-15
- Loss of the Child Jesus in the temple for three days –
Luke 2:41-50 - Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary – John 19:17, 25-27
- Crucifixion and Death of Jesus – John 19:25-37; Mark 15:25
- The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross and placed in our Lady’s arms – Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37
- The burial of Jesus in the sepulcher (tomb) – Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47
Traditionally, there are two days a year when we honor the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The first is during Lent on Passion Friday (i.e. the Friday before Palm Sunday). The second is on September 15th, the day after the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Unfortunately, the Novus Ordo calendar omits the Lenten Passion Friday occurrence.
You can download the full devotional HERE.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
