A devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is not one that is immediately automatic or even intuitive. It is likely that her title of 'Sorrow' is probably why Catholics avoid her if they have heard of her at all.
In hindsight, I have found how impoverished my interior life was before I found her, or perhaps it is better put -- that she found me.
Developing a devotion to the Mother of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart is one of the greatest sources of strength and protection in the spiritual life one can have to overcome the difficulties of life or at least to know how to handle the trials as they come.
She is a powerful advocate for those who suffer and those desiring healing. Through her holy intercession, she rescues souls from being forever lost. And she helps those who also do not know they are lost.
St. Bridget of Sweden brings to us the 15 prayers honoring the suffering and holy wounds of Christ. She also brings to us the devotion to the dolors, or pain, and tears of Our Lady of Sorrows. This pain, the tears, and sorrowing of Our Lady show us the suffering she experienced in relationship with her son, Jesus, and beautifully shows us the participation of Mary for the redemption and salvation of souls.
When we meditate on the dolors of the Mother of the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, we are brought into a deeper knowledge of the relationship between Mother and Son and how Our Lady's suffering was in profound union with Christ and in obedience to the will of God. Mary continues to point to Christ -- we see this even in the mystery of her sorrows.
The 7 Sorrows consist of:
- The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
- The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
- Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
- Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
- Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
- The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
- The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)
Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows can include recitation and mediation of a sorrow, then followed by 7 Hail Mary's.
She is generally pictured with 7 swords piercing her heart to represent the sorrows. In my recent conference to Lviv, Ukraine, I visited a Basilian monastery dedicated to Our Lady of Pidhirtsi, which contained the painting below. Stunning!
Our Lady revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden the following promises for those who keep a devotion to the Sorrows of Mary:
- “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 dolors 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.”
If the 7 Hail Mary's is a bit much to begin with after reciting one sorrow, I find that meditating solely on the mysteries to begin with is a good start! Once you have this down, then move to meditating on one mystery and say 1 Hail Mary after this mystery. So on and so forth. Starting devotions slowly and building step by step will lead to the likelihood of maintaining them in the long run. And this is a beautiful devotion to develop.
My own personal experience with this devotion has been my awareness of sin and its role in Christ's suffering and the tears of Mary. I think discussing sin belongs to another future post. I simply mention it here because prior to this devotion sin was probably more of an intellectual concept or something to be thought of or listed within the sacrament of reconciliation.
It's very different, however, when sin has a concrete effect on someone you love, let alone an innocent victim. One begins to see that sin is so radical because it opposes God, and it has the ability to transcend both time and space. This is very serious.
When we become more aware of sin, which this devotion can actually assist us in, then we are more likely to change how we are and how we treat others if this treatment is not good and not healthy. Indeed, this awareness I would argue is a grace from God ... that is, to know of one's wrongdoing and sin. But the effort to truly overcome sin and bad behaviors for the long term is not something as Christians that we believe we can do on our own: We need Jesus.
This devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows will not only bring us into a greater love for what Christ did for us and for the sorrows of Mary, but the graces derived from the devotion also help in the spiritual life to overcome sin and to strive towards a life of virtue and holiness pleasing God.
How? Begin to practice this devotion and allow Our Lady to show you.
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