Sorrows in Context: Faith, Hope, and Love

September 15, Friday of the 23rd Week in Ordinary Time,
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
Daily Readings: 1 Timothy 1:1–2, 12–14; Luke 2:33–35

Yesterday, September 14, was the Feast of the Exaltation of Cross, and today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

The falling Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows immediately after Exaltation of Holy Cross shows the close connection between Jesus’ Passion and Mary’s Sorrows. The seven sorrows of Mary, namely, (1) the prophecy of prophet Simeon that a sword will pierce her soul; (2) her flight into Egypt with her newborn, (3) her loss of Child Jesus in the Temple,(4) Mary meets Jesus on His way to Calvary, (5) Mary witnessing her son’s crucifixion on the cross, (6) Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross, and (7) Mary witnessing Jesus’ body being placed in the tomb, are commemorated today.

“Mary’s sorrows” resemble “Jesus’ passion”. Thus, her life links us to the paschal mysteries of Our Lord's Passion, death, and Resurrection. The seven sorrows of Mary are commemorated not in the context of the sadistic side of sorrows as a sorrowing mother, but in the context of her faith, hope, and love amidst sorrows as a ‘faith-filled mother’.

Just as she stood by the cross at Calvary, throughout her life, she suffered with her Son in the salvific project of God. For her, sorrows were not problems to be avoided; they were mysteries to be lived!

Our natural tendency to focus on the sadistic-masochistic side of sorrow makes life burdensome.

Mary’s sorrows are reminders to us that our sorrows and sufferings become mysteries of salvific-project in a context of faith, hope, and love and when they lead us to conversion and holiness. Amen.