A Reflection on the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows
15th September A.D. 2010
As we read the Gospel account when Jesus hangs on the Cross while his mother Mary stood by at its foot, we are reminded of the prophetic words of Simeon 33 years prior. He said to Mary,
“You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected; And a sword will pierce your own soul too so that the secret thoughts of many may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)
Jesus as a man had experienced what every mortal has to go through in life. He experienced pain, loneliness, rejection, betrayal, grief. The prophet Isaiah called him
“a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering.” (Isaiah 53:8) Mary shared in the suffering of Christ. She shared his pain and sorrows. In his earthly life, she has been the only mortal who was ever faithful to him. When his disciples and friends abandoned him, she never left him. Thus, from his birth to his death on the Cross, she was there with him.
Today, as we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary as our lady of sorrows, we pause for a moment as, with the eyes of faith, we look on that scene on Mt. Calvary with Jesus and Mary. We take a while from our hurried lives to reflect on Christ’s suffering and death and how it might have left for Mary.
Suffering and sorrow are indispensable. They are part of the human experience which is inescapable. They may come in varied forms from the mere trivial to the most tragic. They manifest in times of difficult moments and in challenging circumstances in which we may feel hopeless, alone, abandoned, in despair.
In the face of all these however, our faith in the saving power of God will carry us through these most trying times. Even in the face of death and grief we take solace in the life eternal promised to us by God. Hence, we don’t have to live in perpetual misery as we live our lives on this earth.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son Jesus Christ,” (John 3:16) to be
“pierced through for our faults, crushed for our sins.” (Isaiah 53:5)
When Jesus suffered,
“Ours were the suffering he bore, ours the sorrows he carried” (Isaiah 53:4) and
“on him lies a punishment that brings us peace, and through his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) Because of these, we no longer have to feel too burdened by every suffering and sorrow that comes our way. We have hope that we can withstand each difficult experience and in every encounter we become stronger and wiser. We just have to trust in the Lord, as Mary did, that beyond darkness and death He will turn-on the light and give life eternal.
Amidst every experience of suffering and sorrow, let us rejoice in the promise of Jesus who tells us,
“Cast your burden upon me, all you that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and you shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) He is to take on himself our sufferings if we let him. We just have to learn to give-up everything to him. He is more than willing to share with us our sorrows and comfort us when we are too burdened by the feelings of hopelessness and despair. We are not alone. We have a God who cares and see to it that we live a good and full life on this earth. We don’t have to live miserably for long. We just have to pray and ask for his help.
Jesus, as he hang on the Cross, said to his apostle John and to his mother,
“Son, behold thy mother; Woman, behold thy son!” (John 19:26,27) Hence we, the faithful and the Blessed Virgin Mary, were beholden to each other since. We have Mary, the mother who feels and shares our own suffering through her Son Jesus. Thus, in our suffering and sorrow, we turn to her intercession,
“To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears… and after this, our exile, show unto us the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.” (from
Salve Regina)
Let us pray,
Father, as Your Son
was raised on the Cross,
to die as a ransom for our sins,
His mother Mary stood by Him,
sharing His sufferings.
May we in turn be like Mary,
to bear suffering with perseverance
and hope in Your promises.
May each painful experience
make us stronger and wiser
and more faithful to You.
We ask You for the grace to
be more resilient in difficulties
and accepting of challenges
that makes us better persons.
Be with us, Lord, in every sorrow.
May we be comforted by Your
constant presence amidst our pain
and recognize Your Divine design
during troubled moments.
With Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows,
We pray in the Name of Jesus Christ,
Through the power of the Holy Spirit,
That all glory be Yours, One God forever
and ever. Amen.
Pray for us!
