Saint of the Day ~ September 15

OUR LADY of SORROWS

Today, the universal Church commemorates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, or what is also called the Seven Sorrows or Seven Dolors of Mary.

Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of our Blessed Mother has its roots in Sacred Scripture and in Christian piety, and is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary, always associating Mary’s sufferings with those of her Son.

This feast dates back to the 13th century. It was especially promoted by the Order of Cistercians and Servites, to the extent that by the 16th century it was widely celebrated throughout the Church.

The Seven Sorrows, or what are also called the Seven Dolors, are: (1) the prophecy of Simeon, (2) the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt, (3) having lost the Holy Child in Jerusalem, (4) meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary, (5) standing at the foot of the Cross, (6) Jesus being taken down from the Cross, and (7) the burial of Jesus.

Undoubtedly, the most common sorrow depicted in both paintings and sculpture is the Pietà, where Mary is holding her Son after His Body was taken down from the Cross.

We commemorate this special Memorial of our Blessed Mother on September 15.

(From catholicnewsagency.com, saints.sqpn.com, americancatholic.org, catholicculture.org and newadvent.org)

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PRAYER

(The following prayer is from the Roman Breviary from the Proper for Our Lady of Sorrows)

“Father, as Your Son was raised on the Cross, His mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His sufferings. May Your Church be united with Christ in His suffering and death, and so come to share in His rising to new life, where He lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.”