At the cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last. (Stabat Mater)
As Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows, we are devoted to Mary the Mother of Sorrows so that our love for her grows each day. Mary, through her intercession, obtains for us many blessings in this life and the life to come, especially at the hour of death. Devotion to the sorrows of Mary helps us to get a glimpse of how much she suffered on our behalf – how she stood faithfully at the foot of the cross.
Mary the Sorrowful Mother is depicted holding the dead body of her Son (Pieta) after He was taken down from the cross. Sometimes she is represented standing beneath the Cross. “Now there stood by the cross of Jesus, his mother…” (John 19:25).The Church calls us to venerate the suffering of Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother. For our special veneration, seven of her sorrows are given to us. They are:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 41-50)
4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary (John 19:17)
5. Jesus dies on the Cross (John 19:25-30)
6. Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms (John 19:31-34)
7. Jesus is placed in the tomb (Luke 23: 50-56)
“The Blessed Virgin loyally persevered in her union with her Son unto the cross. There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan suffering grievously with her only begotten Son. There she united herself with a maternal heart to His sacrifice, and lovingly consented to the immolation of this Victim which she herself had brought forth.” (Lumen Gentium n.58)
“During our Savior’s Passion, every glance at her suffering Son forced the sword deeper into Mary’s soul. Every sound of His voice brought special bitterness to her heart. In her spirit as well as in her senses, she felt every blow that was inflicted upon her divine Son, every insult that was offered to His sacred person. With heroic fortitude she suppressed her violent grief and, wholly conformed to the Divine Will, generously offered the sacrifice of her Son, for the sins of the world.” (Devotion to The Sorrowful Mother, 2002)
