September 3, 2014

Nothing compares with what Mary had to go through during our Lord’s passion: She stood by, helpless, watching Jesus being condemned unjustly, mocked, scourged and tortured, crowned with thorns, and crucified. Could anything be more horrible for a mother than to witness that happening to her only son? Jesus, being God, could have preserved her from that. He could have brought her home to heaven before those events occurred, for Instance, as happened with St. Joseph. But he didn’t. Somehow, his love for his mother included allowing her to suffer, and to suffer deeply, painfully, terribly. Why? That’s what this Retreat Guide, A Mother’s Tears: A Retreat Guide on Our Lady of Sorrows, will delve into. In this Retreat Guide, A Mother’s Tears, we will reflect on this amazing gift.

• In the meditations, we will reflect on the meaning behind the ancient liturgical celebration of Our Lady of Sorrows, which the Church commemorates every year on September 15th.
• And in the conference, we will unpack the meaning behind the traditional Catholic practice of “offering up” our sufferings.