Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
John 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
Opening Prayer: Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Word of God, open my heart and become living and effective in me (cf. Heb 4:12) while I ponder your words in this passage.
Encountering Christ:
- The Sword Reveals: When Jesus was an infant, Simeon told Mary that her heart would one day be pierced “so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Lk 2:35). The one to whom all thoughts are revealed is Christ, the Word: “Indeed, the word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart” (Heb 4:12). The sword, the word of God, pierced the heart of Mary, and it pierces our hearts with the truth every time we meditate on the Scriptures. When we read God’s word, our hearts are laid open before him. Mary’s Immaculate Heart—itself pierced with a sword—is part of God’s plan to deliver his word to us. As St. Louis de Montfort said, “to Jesus through Mary.”
- Redemptive Suffering: Mary knew Isaiah’s prophecy about the Suffering Servant (cf. Isa 53). She was aware that suffering was a key part of her Son’s mission, and she willingly participated in his sufferings. When we encounter our own sufferings, we have the same chance to participate in Christ’s saving mission by offering God our hurts, failures, illnesses, sorrow, and grief. When we unite our suffering to Christ’s, our offering becomes meritorious for the salvation of the world. As St. John Paul II said, “Christ has raised human suffering to the level of the Redemption. Thus each man, in his suffering, can also become a sharer in the redemptive suffering of Christ” (Salvifici Doloris, 19).
- Our Mother’s Heart: When Jesus gave John to Mary, he made all of humanity her children for eternity. How blessed we are! No one has ever had a mother with more compassion and tenderness than we do in Mary. Her Immaculate Heart is the most beautiful work of God’s creation. She is “the most excellent fruit of the redemption” (Sacrosantum Concilium, 103). Mary’s maternal heart is sorrowful, yet it is marvelously full of love for God and for us. St. Jerome wrote, “Even while living in the world, the heart of Mary was so filled with motherly tenderness and compassion for men that no one ever suffered so much for their own pains, as Mary suffered for the pains of her children.”
Conversing with Christ: Immaculate Heart of Mary, my mother, lead me to your Son. Please receive my prayers and make them beautiful for Christ. Sacred Heart of Jesus, reveal my heart to yours. Open it and lay it bare in front of you. Discern and purify the innermost thoughts of my heart. Fill my heart with a love that burns with such a pure and radiant love for you that others are attracted to you by this love.
Resolution: Lord, today by your grace I will pray a rosary in honor of my mother Mary and offer some small sacrifice out of love for you.
Carey Boyzuck is a wife, mother, freelance writer, and a lay member of Regnum Christi. She blogs at word-life-light.com.
