Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows

Rosary of the Sorrowful Mother >

Is there one who would not weep, overwhelmed in grief so deep, Christ’s dear mother to behold. (Stabat Mater)

“During the Middle Ages, when the ordinary Catholic no longer knew the language of the official prayer of the Church, many other prayer forms or devotions developed to fill the prayer vacuum that resulted. One of these was the rosary. And one of the adaptation of this prayer form was the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Like all rosaries, the Rosary of the Sorrowful Mother is a meditation on the mystery-events of God’s love for us as reflected in the life of Jesus and Mary. Specifically, it invites us to meditate on those times in the life of Mary when she experienced the pain and suffering that tested her faith and invited her to a full sharing of the mystery of God’s salvation in her Son, Jesus.”

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows pray the rosary of the Sorrowful Mother as a sign of unity with Mary in her suffering and grief.

Act of Contrition, O Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for my sins; I humbly ask your forgiveness, and I promise with your help to prove worthy of your love by sharing in your passion and death through our Blessed Mother’s sorrows.

1st Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon
With deep humility let us meditate on the sorrow of the Virgin Mother of God when, presenting Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesied to her: “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rising of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed – and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword – so that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.” (Luke 2:34-35)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

2nd Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said to him: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. Herod is searching for the child to destroy him.” (Matthew 2:13-15)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

3rd Sorrow: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when, on the feast of Passover, together with Joseph her husband, she searched three days for her beloved Son Jesus. After three days of searching, they found him in the Temple, and Jesus said to them: “Why did you searching for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:48)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

4th Sorrow: Jesus Meets Mary on the Road to Calvary
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when she met Jesus on the way to Calvary carrying the cross for our salvation.
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

5th Sorrow: The Crucifixion
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when she saw her son nailed to the cross. “Then Jesus, seeing his mother near the beloved disciple, said: Woman, there is your son! And to the disciple said: There is your mother! And the disciple took her into his care.” (John 19:26-27)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

6th Sorrow: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when one of the soldiers came to Jesus, and finding him already dead, pierced his heart with a spear. Then, when he was taken down from the cross, she took his bleeding body in her arms. (John 19:38)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

7th Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus
Let us meditate on the sorrow of Mary when Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped the body of Jesus “in fine linen, and laid it in a tomb hewn from the rock.” (Luke 23:53)
Hail, Mary (seven times)
Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, O Lord, Jesus Christ, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose soul was pierced by a sword of sorrow at your passion, implore your mercy for us now and at the hour of our death. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Litany of the Sorrowful Mother >

Make me feel as you have felt, make my heart to glow and melt with the love of Christ my Lord. (Stabat Mater)

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord have mercy. Chrsit hear us.
Christ graciously her us.

God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary,
Pray for us. (repeat after each line)
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgins of Virgins,
Mother whose heart was crucified,
Mother of sorrows,
Mother of tears,
Mother bereft of all comfort,
Mother alone and afflicted,
Mother deprived of her Son,
Mother pierced with a sword,
Mother immersed in grief,
Mother overwhelmed by pain,
Mother on the cross in spirit .
Mother full of sadness,
Mother full of affliction,

Fount of tears,
Mirror of patience,
Rock of constancy,
Anchor of confidence,
Refuge of the oppressed,
Victory over unbelievers,
Comfort of those in misery,
Medicine of the sick,
Strengthy of the Shipwrecked,
Rainbow of peace,
Protection of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Treasure of the faithful,
Eye of prophets,
Support of apostles,
Crown of martyrs,
Light of true Christians,
Pearl of Virgins,
Comfort of widows,
Joy of all the Saints,

Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.
Graciously hear us, O Lord,
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God,
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, O Lord Jesus Christ, may the blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow at your passion, implore your mercy fo us now and at the hour of our death. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

The Via Matris >

Can the human heart refrain. From partaking in her pain in that Mother’s pain untold? (Stabat Mater)

As Christ and Our Lady of Dolours were associated in God’s saving plan (Lk 2, 34-35), so too they are associated in the Liturgy and popular piety.

As Christ was the “man of sorrows” (Is 53, 3) through whom it pleased God to have “reconciled all things through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross” (Col 1, 20), so too, Mary is “the woman of sorrows” whom God associated with his Son as mother and participant in his Passion (socia passionis).

Since the childhood of Christ, the Blessed Virgin Mary’s life was entirely lived out under the sign of the sword (cf, Lk 2, 35). Christian piety has signalled out seven particular incidents of sorrow in her life, known as the “seven sorrows” of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Modelled on the Via Crucis, the pious exercise of the Via Matris dolorosae, or simply the Via Matris, developed and was subsequently approved by the Apostolic See(140). This pious exercise already existed in embryonic form since the sixteenth century, while its present form dates from the nineteenth century. Its fundamental intuition is a reflection on the life of Our Lady from the prophecy of Simeon (cf. Lk 2, 34-35), to the death and burial of her Son, in terms of a journey in faith and sorrow: this journey is articulated in seven “stations” corresponding to the “seven dolours” of the Mother of Our Saviour.

Since the sorrows of Our Lady are caused by the rejection of her Son (cf. John 1,11; Lk 2, 1-7; 2, 34-35; 4, 28-29; Mt 26, 47-56; Acts 12, 1-5), the Via Matris constantly and necessarily refers to the mystery of Christ as the suffering servant (cf. Is 52, 13-53, 12). It also refers to the mystery of the Church: the stations of the Via Matris are stages on the journey of faith and sorrow on which the Virgin Mary has preceded the Church, and in which the Church journeys until the end of time.

The highest expression of the Via Matris is the Pietà which has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for Christian art since the middles ages. (Directory of Popular Piety and Liturgy 136-7)

The Via Matris, depicting the seven main sorrows of Mary is set us in up in all our chapels. The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows meditate on the Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows who stood faithfully near the Cross of her Son on Calvary.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows pray the The Via Matris first Saturday of each month. By praying the Via Matris “we meditate on the sorrows of Our Lady who was intimately associatedwith the Passion of her Divine Son.” (Constitution of the Congregation n. 73) By praying the Via Matris, we contemplate the life of Our Lady, from the Annunciation and the prophecy of Simeon to the death and burial of her Son that she may give us a true repentance for our sins and a total conformity the will of God.

First Sorrow:  The Prophecy of Simeon

He came to the temple now, inspired by the Spirit, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform for him the customary ritual of the law, he took him in his arms and blessed God… and he said to Mary his mother: This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel, a sign that will be opposed—and you yourself shall be pierced with a sword—that the thoughts of many hearts may be laid bare.
(Lk. 2:27-28, 34-35)

Meditation

Obedience to the law led Mary to an understanding of her mission. Mary, that day, and all the days of her divine motherhood, meditated on these things in her heart, in the light she received from her submission to God’s revelation. In the same way, our loving, diligent, joyous observance of obedience places us in an attitude of listening to the Spirit, whether his message comes from God directly or from one who represents him to us … and if that message foretells a cross for us, we will be better disposed to accept it in faith, supported by Mary.

Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful.
That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus, at your passion, a sword of sorrow pierced the loving soul of Mary, glorious Virgin and Mother, just as Simeon had prophesied. Grant that we may remember her sufferings with reverence, and so obtain the spiritual benefits of your passion. You who live and reign forever. Amen.

Second Sorrow: The Flight Into Egypt

The angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph with the command: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. Herod is searching for the child to destroy him.” Joseph got up and took the child and his mother and left that night for Egypt. (Mt. 2:13-14)

Meditation

We must also accept our consecrated life in a spirit of faith. God may conceal himself, but he is present. Human needs are pressing, but God sees and will provide. Genuine obedience gives us this advice from heaven: “Get up, go… ask nothing more. Step by step you will see where to place your feet.” Believe in God. Believe in the love of God, even if sorrow overwhelms you. We discover here a truth of faith: certitude in the divine call is what made the saints.

Pray for us to the Lord, holy Virgin.
Strengthen us against the enemy.

Let us pray, We turn, O Lord, to your goodness; grant that, in calling to mind the sufferings of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we may become, like her, open to the mysteries of our redemption. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Third Sorrow: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple

As they were returning at the end of the feast, the child Jesus remained behind unknown to his parents. On the third day they came upon him in the temple sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. When his parents saw him they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? You see that your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.” He said to them: “Why did you search for me? Did you not know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not grasp what he said to them. (Lk. 2:43, 46, 48-50)

Meditation

This even recalls the pain of Mary’s search, as well as her sorrowful wonder at the behavior of Jesus. We are, like Mary, searching for Jesus, searching for a greater understanding of daily events, trying to discover the will of God and submit to it. It is difficult and painful, at times, to accept in trust the will of God as it is revealed through events or human actions. Mary herself did not understand but accepted. We also say: “Lord, I do not understand, but I accept.”

Through your sufferings, Virgin Mary.
Obtain for us the joys of the kingdom of heaven.

Let us pray, Lord Jesus, may our sharing in the sufferings of your Virgin Mother obtain for us through your mercy the graces necessary for our salvation. You who live and reign forever. Amen.

Forth Sorrow: The Journey to Calvary and the Crucifixion

Pilate first had Jesus scourged; then he handed him over to be crucified. A great crowd of people followed him, including women who beat their breasts and lamented over him. When they came to Skull Place, as it is called, they crucified him there, and the criminals as well, one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” (Mt. 27:26; LK. 23:27, 33, 34)

Meditation

All the sufferings prophesied for Mary culminated in Jesus’ condemnation to death; she had been preparing for this hour for thirty years. Following the example of our Mother Foundress, we should not continue to weigh the crosses that burden us, but turn our eyes to Christ and gain from him the strength and grace to carry them with love, becoming sharers in his redemptive work.

Who can give you comfort, O virgin daughter of Sion?
Great as the sea is your sorrow.

Let us pray,  God of goodness, support our weakness, and, as we recall the sufferings of the holy Mother of your Son, grant that, through her intercession, we may rise again from our guilt. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fifth Sorrow: The Agony and Death of Jesus

Seeing his mother there with the disciple whom he loved, Jesus said to his mother, “Woman, there is your son.” In turn he said to the disciple, “There is your mother.” Around midday,… Jesus, uttered a loud cry and said, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” After he had said this, he died. (Jn. 19:26-27, Lk. 23:46)

Meditation

On Calvary Jesus shaped the heart of Mary, giving her a universal motherhood. Jesus said: “Father, forgive them…” and Mary forgave. He said, “Today you will be with me in paradise” and the repentant thief turned his sorrowful gaze on Mary after Jesus died. He told her, “Woman, there is your son” – and Mary received everyone. Each of us is called to mourn our sorrows in the same way Mary did. Like Mary at the foot of the cross, we join the offering of all our being to the sacrifice of Christ for the salvation of our neighbors, with heroic obedience and love, until we, too, say, “It is finished.”

Queen of martyrs, pray for us.
You who remained fearlessly at the cross of Jesus.

Let us pray, Almighty and merciful God, you willed that Mary remain near your Son on the cross. Grant that your Church may be united with her in the passion of Christ so that we may share in the life of the risen Lord, who is God, and lives and reigns with you forever. Amen.

Sixth Sorrow: Jesus Is Taken Down from the Cross

As it grew dark, Joseph from Arimathea arrived. He was bold enough to seek an audience with Pilate and urgently requested the body of Jesus. Pilate summoned the centurion and released the corpse to Joseph, and Joseph took the body down from the cross. (Cf. Mk. 15:42-46)

Meditation

The pierced heart of Jesus showed Mary how much he gave to atone for our sins. The sorrowing Virgin Mother, with maternal tenderness, washed the blood from the wounds of Jesus, preparing the body for burial. We would have helped Mary had we been there, so let us help her today as members of the mystical body of Christ, so that his blood may continue to wash away the sins of the world.

Virgin Mary, help us find our salvation
Through the wounds of Christ.

Let us pray, O Lord Jesus Christ, may the Blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, whose soul was pierced by the sword of sorrow at your passion, implore your mercy for us now and at the hour of our death. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus

Take the body, Joseph wrapped it in fresh linen and laid it in his own new tomb which had been hewn from a formation of rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away. After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene came with the other Mary to inspect the tomb. They did not find the body of Jesus. (Mt. 27:59-60, 28:1)

Meditation

Mary, overwhelmed by grief, left the tomb to await the fulfillment of the divine promise. She lived those two days in the fullness of faith and in the contemplation of the mystery of love and suffering foretold from the beginning of the world. May the Holy Virgin help us to live generously the commitment of our consecration, to imitate her faith, her abandonment, her fidelity to God, in humble acceptance of the divine will in the present moment, in understanding the mystery of love and suffering that God has willed for each of us.

Mary, mother of mercy, pray for us,
And we will be forgiven and blessed.

Let us pray, God, by the resurrection of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, you have willed to make glad the whole world. Grant, we beseech you, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, his Mother, we may obtain the joys of eternal life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

For the intentions of the Holy Father:
Our Father…
Hail Mary…
Glory to the Father…

The Stabat Mater >

The Stabat Mater Dolorosa is a liturgical hymn associated with Our Lady of Sorrows. The hymn focuses on the pain and anguish Mary experienced at the death of her Son on the cross. The Latin title of this hymn refers to Mary standing faithfully at the foot of the cross in union with Christ her beloved Son.

The Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows in union with Mary, the Sorrowful Mother chant this song when praying the rosary of the sorrowful mother or praying the Stations of the Cross.

At the cross her station keeping
Stood the mournful Mother weeping
Close to Jesus at the last.

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword has passed.

Oh, how sad and sore distressed,
Was that Mother hightly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!

Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs,
Of her dying glorious Son.

Is there one who would not weep,
Overwhelmed in grief so deep
Christ’s dear mother to behold.

Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that Mother’s pain untold?

Bruised, derided, cursed defiled,
She beheld her tender child
All with bloody scourges rent.

For the sins of his own nation,
There he hung in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.

Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.

Loving Mother, pierce me through;
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.

Make me feel as you have felt,
Make my heart to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord>

By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray
Is all I ask of your to give.

Let me mingle tears with you
Mourning him who mourned for me.
All the days that I may live.

While my body her decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.

Christ, whcn you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense
Be your cross my victory.

Novena to the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows >

A filial relationship to Mary is the royal road to fidelity to one’s vocations and a most effective help for advancing in that vocation and living it fully.  (Vita Consecrata n. 29)

We pray the Novena in preparation of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows who is the“Special patron of our Congregation, is the object of our particular devotion, which we carry out with filial love and sacrifice. Her maternity, her living faith in the fulfillment of the most profound mysteries of the redemption, her contemplative silence, her humble, hidden, and constant activity in the simple life of Nazareth an the early Church, should be the basis of our nourishment and spiritual growth.
(Constitution of the Congregation n. 68)

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Virgin Most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

O Mary, humble servant of Sion, we pray to you. You heard the prophetic voice of Simeon; you accepted the revelation of the sorrowful road of your Son that pierced the depths of your heart like a sword. You experienced immense pain from his rejection by the people. Mary, we pray to you. Obtain for us the gift of understanding the sacrifice of Christ, of following his example as disciples, and of welcoming his salvation.
Hail, Mary…
Holy Mary…
Virgin most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

O Mary, young virgin of Israel, fleeing to Egypt with your Son, Jesus, and defending his life against every danger, you endured the weariness of all mothers. Obtain the gifts of hope and strength for those who, like you, are attentive and watchful over the birth and growth of future generations, for those who are guardians of the designs of God for the future of the world.
Hail, Mary…
Holy Mary…
Virgin most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

O Mary, faithful woman, you rejoiced greatly in the presence of your Son at the Passover feast of your people, but grieved at his unexpected disappearance. Grant the gift of a constant search in faith for your Son to those who are restless because of doubt, and to us, grant the joy of being found again when we lost.
Hail, Mary…
Holy Mary…
Virgin most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

O Mary, humble handmaid of the Lord, you were enraptured by the blessedness your Son promised to those who fulfill the will of the Father. Help us to be docile to the will of God for us, and to accept the cross in our lives with the same love with which you accepted and bore it.
Hail, Mary…
Holy Mary…
Virgin most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

O Mary, sorrowful Mother of the Lord, you have given us a wonderful example of love and strength near the cross. Teach us to love and be generously present to all who suffer. Grant that we may receive you in our home like a mother and learn through you example a new way of accepting the inevitable sufferings of life.
Hail, Mary…
Holy Mary…
Virgin most Sorrowful,
Pray for us.

Consecration to Our Lady of Sorrows >

Most holy Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, Mary, would that I could be in Heaven, there to contemplate the honors rendered to thee by the Most Holy Trinity and by the whole Heavenly Court! But since I am still a pilgrim in this vale of tears, receive from me, thy unworthy servant and a poor sinner, the most sincere homage and the most perfect act of vassalage a human creature can offer thee.

In thy Immaculate Heart, pierced with so many swords of sorrow, I place today my poor soul forever; receive me as a partaker in thy dolors, and never suffer that I should depart from that Cross on which thy only begotten Son expired for me.

With thee, O Mary, I will endure all the sufferings, contradictions, infirmities, with which it will please thy Divine Son to visit me in this life. All of them I offer to thee, in memory of the Dolors which thou didst suffer during thy life, that every thought of my mind, every beating of my heart may henceforward be an act of compassion to thy Sorrows, and of complacency for the glory thou now enjoyest in Heaven.

Since then, O Dear Mother, I now compassionate thy Dolors, and rejoice in seeing thee glorified, do thou also have compassion on me, and reconcile me to thy Son Jesus, that I may become thy true and loyal daughter; come on my last day and assist me in my last agony, even as thou wert present at the Agony of thy Divine Son Jesus, that from this painful exile I may go to Heaven, there to be made partaker of thy glory.  Amen.