September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. Today is also the
Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and a fitting time to contemplate these Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. The Holy Cross was probably one of our Lady's biggest sorrows. Being a mother, I can't even imagine the emotions and sorrow connected to it for her and still she said YES to all of God's Holy Will.
I have a beautiful ancient little book titled The Seven Sorrows of Mary which I am going to share with you a few highlights and scripture about the sorrows. At the bottom of the post, you'll see the
FREE coloring pages for the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady.
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The First Sorrow:
The Prophecy of Simeon
" and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted
(and you yourself a sword will pierce)
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” Luke 2: 34-33
How would you like it if someone told you just a few days after your baby was born that he was going to cause you great pain and suffering in life and others too! I would be positively crushed if someone said my beautiful little baby would be rejected and outcast in life...that is nothing a new mother wants to hear.
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" The Flight to Egypt
. When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”
Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Matt 2:13-15
The hits just keep on a coming, now the Holy Family has to pack up in the middle of the night and move to a foreign country where they don't know anyone or have jobs lined out or even any idea where they are gonna live. Through all this Mary said YES to God.
~ - ~The Boy Jesus in the Temple. Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” Luke 2:42-48
Can you imagine loosing Jesus? Think about the sorrow you feel when you are far away from Him due to your sins. Then think how Mary must have felt to not have Jesus close to her and she didn't even do anything to cause it.
~ - ~A large crowd of people followed Jesus, including many women who mourned and lamented him." Luke 23:27
Mary was there silently suffering as she watched her beloved son endure all this horrible torture. These last four sorrows were probably just one big sadness for Mary as she watched helpless to do anything to comfort her sweet, precious, and innocent Son. And still she said YES to God through her silent suffering.
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The Fifth Sorrow:
Calvary the Crucifixion
"The Crucifixion. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull), they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there." Matt 27: 33-36
I have few words for this, I have never lost a child living outside my womb. The sadness of miscarrying a baby I am sure pails in comparison to a baby you have held in your arms and loved and cared for. It wasn't even an accidental loss, but rather, Our Lady had to watch helplessly as they killed her innocent child. This also was in God's plan and she still said YES because cause she loved God and longed for the salvation of humanity...her will was and is perfectly united to the Father's.
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The Sixth Sorrow:
Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross, The Pieta
" When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it [in] clean linen
" Matt 27:57-59
Jesus was finally taken down from the cross, the masses were no longer jeering and starting at His humiliating death. Mary could hold her precious child close in her arms like she had wanted to through this whole horrific ordeal. Now though, His beautiful presence was gone once again from her and the sorrow overwhelming. But she continued to say YES to all of Our Heavenly Father's plan.
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The Seventh Sorrow:
The Burial of Jesus
"They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by." John 19:40-42
Jesus came into this world without a place to lay his head and leaving it was buried in a borrowed tomb...His mother was poor and had nothing to give Him. What mother doesn't want to give their baby the world and how we all clamor to make sure things are just right before baby comes and goodness forbid we have to burry a child, I am sure we would all want to honor as best we could that precious life. Mary truly is the humble handmaid of the Lord, she just said ok God, it is what it is and I am good with Your Will!
Through all of her sorrows Mary said YES to God. We need to look at her life and try a little to say yes to God in the difficult times. He carried her through it all and will also carry us too, if we submit and say YES like Mary. It may not be easy but after all, Jesus came to show the way and it wasn't exactly a walk in the park for Him. So what makes us think we can skate through this life unscathed by a little suffering or that we should even try and wiggle out of most of it!
The book Stood the Mornful Mother Weeping, will be FREE on Kindle Friday, April 3rd 2020. If you would like, check it out. It's not a formulated Station's of the Cross, but more of a beautiful picture book with a hymn.
