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Today, September 15, is the Feast of the Seven Dolours [Sorrows] of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, a righteous man was there whose name was Simeon.
Luke 2:33-35:
"and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is spoken against
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.'"
These are the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
1. The prophecy of Simeon
2. The flight into Egypt
3. The loss of the divine Child in Jerusalem
4. The carrying of the Cross,
5. The Crucifixion
6. The taking down from the Cross
7. The burial of Jesus
Tobit 4:3-4:
"and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life: For thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb."
"Since the days of her mortal life, when Mary was, even in this world, truly the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Apostles and their Mistress with regard to the divine oracles; but especially since she has received in heaven an almost infinite power for dispensing the fruits of redemption: the mighty helper of the Christian people, the restorer of the world, has not ceased to prove herself the impregnable rampart of the Church, the solid foundation of the faith, the fountain springing from God, whence the rivers of divine Wisdom pour out their pure waters, sweeping away heresy from all places."
"It is as his Mother that the Blessed Virgin came, and therefore as the Mother of sorrows; for the God, whose future birth was the very cause of her own birth, is to be in this world a Man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity...On the mountain of the Sacrifice, as mother she gave her Son, as Bride she offered herself together with him; by her sufferings both as Bride and as Mother, she was the co-redemptress of the human race...Christ dieth now no more: and Our Lady’s sufferings are over. Nevertheless the Passion of Christ is continued in his elect, in his Church, against which hell vents the rage it cannot exercise against himself."
"Jesus himself was Mary’s sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. They kept pace together; they were made of the same materials; they were perfumed with kindred fragrance; they were lighted with the same fire; they were offered with kindred dispositions. The two things were one simultaneous oblation, interwoven each moment through the thickly crowded mysteries of that dread time unto the Eternal, out of two sinless Hearts, that were the Hearts of Son and Mother, for the sins of a guilty world which fell on them contrary to their merits, but according to their own free will.”
Let us honor the Mother of Sorrows, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and our Mother (if we will have her) by keeping the Feast.
Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in His awful Judgment Day.
Quotations taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger which is in the public domain
I am a convert. Though I have accepted Mary as the Mother of God and all that, I freely admit that I have never "felt" her comfort me - till yesterday.
Yesterday I attended a retreat in the morning. Just a sort of mini retreat at a local area called Wellspring, not a big deal really. It was more out of curiosity that I went, because I wanted to check out the location.
Anyway, there were gardens, walking paths, etc. and it was beautiful and peaceful. It is also dedicated to St. Francis De Sales, which was a surprise to me and he is the saint I chose for my saint's name (because I admire him but could spell it like a girl's name - LOL). Everywhere, throughout the entire area, there were little signs that said one of my favorite scriptures - "Be still and know that I am God."
There was a garden there with a statue of Mary in it. I had been wandering around so I sat down to wait for my ride and rest. Now - yesterday I was sad because I had found and read all my deceased husband's texts to me over the years - in my phone. I had disconnected his phones but the texts were still saved under his old phone number though they are no longer attached to his contact info if that makes sense. So 15 months after he died, I found those texts and read every single one of them Sunday night. I was so, so sad, missing him SO much. I had even cried the night before. And I also realized anew how perfect we were for each other, how eloquent he was (I always liked that about him) and most importantly, how no one loves me like he loved me, and probably never will. So I was pretty blue still Monday, though I wasn't walking around in sack cloth and ashes.
I just missed him so much. I do miss him every single day but I REALLY missed him yesterday.
Anyway, as I sat in the garden with the statue of Mary, for the very first time in over twenty years, I felt her comfort. I felt her empathy. I felt her love. It was very, very comforting and I hope I will always remember that emotion and that beautiful fall day here.
I got home and immediately ordered a statue of Mary and one of St. Francis as well for my gardens!
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen.
Today, September 15, is the Feast of the Seven Dolours [Sorrows] of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, a righteous man was there whose name was Simeon.
Luke 2:33-35:
"and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is spoken against
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.'"
These are the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
1. The prophecy of Simeon
2. The flight into Egypt
3. The loss of the divine Child in Jerusalem
4. The carrying of the Cross,
5. The Crucifixion
6. The taking down from the Cross
7. The burial of Jesus
Tobit 4:3-4:
"and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life: For thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb."
"Since the days of her mortal life, when Mary was, even in this world, truly the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Apostles and their Mistress with regard to the divine oracles; but especially since she has received in heaven an almost infinite power for dispensing the fruits of redemption: the mighty helper of the Christian people, the restorer of the world, has not ceased to prove herself the impregnable rampart of the Church, the solid foundation of the faith, the fountain springing from God, whence the rivers of divine Wisdom pour out their pure waters, sweeping away heresy from all places."
"It is as his Mother that the Blessed Virgin came, and therefore as the Mother of sorrows; for the God, whose future birth was the very cause of her own birth, is to be in this world a Man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity...On the mountain of the Sacrifice, as mother she gave her Son, as Bride she offered herself together with him; by her sufferings both as Bride and as Mother, she was the co-redemptress of the human race...Christ dieth now no more: and Our Lady’s sufferings are over. Nevertheless the Passion of Christ is continued in his elect, in his Church, against which hell vents the rage it cannot exercise against himself."
"Jesus himself was Mary’s sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. They kept pace together; they were made of the same materials; they were perfumed with kindred fragrance; they were lighted with the same fire; they were offered with kindred dispositions. The two things were one simultaneous oblation, interwoven each moment through the thickly crowded mysteries of that dread time unto the Eternal, out of two sinless Hearts, that were the Hearts of Son and Mother, for the sins of a guilty world which fell on them contrary to their merits, but according to their own free will.”
Let us honor the Mother of Sorrows, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and our Mother (if we will have her) by keeping the Feast.
Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in His awful Judgment Day.
Quotations taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger which is in the public domain
O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ: by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen.
Thank you so much, and cheers to you from another convert!
Today, September 15, is the Feast of the Seven Dolours [Sorrows] of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
When Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the temple to present Him to the Lord, a righteous man was there whose name was Simeon.
Luke 2:33-35:
"and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel,
and for a sign that is spoken against
(and a sword will pierce through your own soul also),
that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.'"
These are the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
1. The prophecy of Simeon
2. The flight into Egypt
3. The loss of the divine Child in Jerusalem
4. The carrying of the Cross,
5. The Crucifixion
6. The taking down from the Cross
7. The burial of Jesus
Tobit 4:3-4:
"and thou shalt honour thy mother all the days of her life: For thou must be mindful what and how great perils she suffered for thee in her womb."
"Since the days of her mortal life, when Mary was, even in this world, truly the Mother of the Church, the Queen of the Apostles and their Mistress with regard to the divine oracles; but especially since she has received in heaven an almost infinite power for dispensing the fruits of redemption: the mighty helper of the Christian people, the restorer of the world, has not ceased to prove herself the impregnable rampart of the Church, the solid foundation of the faith, the fountain springing from God, whence the rivers of divine Wisdom pour out their pure waters, sweeping away heresy from all places."
"It is as his Mother that the Blessed Virgin came, and therefore as the Mother of sorrows; for the God, whose future birth was the very cause of her own birth, is to be in this world a Man of sorrows and acquainted with infirmity...On the mountain of the Sacrifice, as mother she gave her Son, as Bride she offered herself together with him; by her sufferings both as Bride and as Mother, she was the co-redemptress of the human race...Christ dieth now no more: and Our Lady’s sufferings are over. Nevertheless the Passion of Christ is continued in his elect, in his Church, against which hell vents the rage it cannot exercise against himself."
"Jesus himself was Mary’s sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. They kept pace together; they were made of the same materials; they were perfumed with kindred fragrance; they were lighted with the same fire; they were offered with kindred dispositions. The two things were one simultaneous oblation, interwoven each moment through the thickly crowded mysteries of that dread time unto the Eternal, out of two sinless Hearts, that were the Hearts of Son and Mother, for the sins of a guilty world which fell on them contrary to their merits, but according to their own free will.”
Let us honor the Mother of Sorrows, Mother of God, Mother of the Church, and our Mother (if we will have her) by keeping the Feast.
Wounded with His every wound,
steep my soul till it hath swooned,
in His very Blood away;
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
lest in flames I burn and die,
in His awful Judgment Day.
Quotations taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Prosper Gueranger which is in the public domain
Honestly? If there were tears in Heaven, I think she'd probably cry over what people have made of her.
Hey, I wanted to share one tidbit of something else about Mary and me.
Twenty years ago, I was converting and coming up on Easter and all that when I'd be confirmed. My dad kept EVERYTHING and I knew I had seen my Methodist baptismal certificate in his file cabinet before, and I needed that. I mean, I did know the name of the church so I could get it from them if I really needed it but it would just be so much easier if my dad would just give it to me.
Anyway, he was opposed to me converting. He and my grandmother (his mom) and many, many generations back were staunch Methodists.
So, he and I were cleaning out my grandmother's attic. Now, we had just put these boxes up there a few years ago when she'd moved to be near him, and besides that, we'd all been through every single box and held every item she'd ever owned over and over again. There just weren't than many boxes up there, and she'd never been one to collect much stuff anyway.
So I was up in the attic handing him boxes. While I was up there, I called down, "Dad. I really really need that baptismal certificate. I know you have it, I've seen it in your house recently. Can you please just give it to me?" He sighed and said "Well, OK."
The very next box I handed down to him was a little open. I opened it and inside it, not wrapped up or anything, just laying on top of some material, was a beautiful porcelain figurine of Mary. I said "Dad, where did Grandmother get this? I've never seen it before, but I'm taking it!" I picked it up to show to him...and underneath it was my baptismal certificate.
My dad had never seen the Mary figurine and was as surprised as I was to see the baptismal certificate. Oh well!
My grandmother had died a few months earlier. She had never seemed bothered in the least by me attending RCIA or planning on converting, just for the record.
We never found out where she got that figurine or how that baptismal certificate got up in that box in her attic.
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