The Catholic Defender: The Devotion Our Lady of Sorrows Day 5

The seven sorrows of Mary are:

1. St. Simeon’s Prophecy (Luke 2:35)

2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-14)

3. The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:44-52)

4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary (Tradition Luke 23:26-32)

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:16-30)

6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus, and His Descent from the Cross (John 19:31-37 and Tradition)

7. The Burial of Jesus (John 19:38-42)

According to St. Alphonsus de Liguori (The Glories of Mary) it was revealed to Saint Elizabeth that at the request of Our Lady, Our Lord promised four principal graces to those devoted to Her Sorrows:

“I will grant peace to their families.”

2. “They will be enlightened about the divine Mysteries.”

3. “I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.”

4. “I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of My divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.”

5. “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”

6. “I will visibly help them at the moment of their death — they will see the face of their Mother.”

7. “I have obtained this grace from My divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to My tears and sorrows will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and My Son will be their eternal consolation and joy.”

The month of September is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Here is the Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows (from the Raccolta). May be said as a nine day novena and/or as a companion to the daily recitation of 7 Hail Mary prayers offered in honor of Our Lady’s Sorrows.

Each day begin with:

V. O God, come to my assistance;

R. O Lord, make haste to help me.

V. Glory be, etc.

R. As it was, etc.

Pope Pius VII approved another series of prayers in honor of the Seven Sorrows for daily meditation in 1815:

O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Day V. I grieve for Thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which Thy generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by Thy heart afflicted in such wise, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the Gift of Counsel. Pray one Hail Mary.

Let us pray.

Let intercession be made for us, we beseech Thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Thy mercy, by the Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow in the hour of Thy bitter Passion. We ask this through Thee, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, who with the Father and the Holy Ghost livest and reignest world without end. Amen.

Day 5

Pray for Families

I know of a family which prays each night. Since the kids were little they are gathered from their games and their grumbling to the couch in the living room. There they pray for those whom they love and those they have a hard time loving. They pray for the unborn and for little babies. They pray for the sick and the dying. They pray for the Church and for their priest. Many a night it was the knowledge of those prayers that gave me hope and peace and a good night’s sleep.