Our Lady of Sorrows
Our Lady of Sorrows is a title given to the Virgin Mary by Pope Pius V in 1571. It refers to the seven dolor or sorrows she experienced during her life.
This avocation has its roots in the Gospel. Here are some major references: John 19:25 (Calvary); Luke 2:35 (Mary pierced with a sword). Other sorrows can be inferred: Luke 2:7 (no room at the inn); Matthew 2:6-18 (massacre of the Innocents); Luke 2:41-50 (anxious search for Jesus); Luke 4:28-30 (rejection by townspeople of Nazareth); and Luke 11:53-54 (rejection by authorities of Jerusalem), etc.
This form of Marian piety goes back to the fourteenth century, but Mary's compassion was remembered from the early centuries:
Abbot Poemon (5 c.) Apothegms 144: "I would like to weep with her always."
Ephrem the Syrian (373) "Lamentation of Mary" (still used in the Syrian Rite)
Romanos the Melodist (500) "Hymn of Mary at the Cross" (Jesus instructs His mother on the mystery of the Cross).
Also to be mentioned are St. Ambrose, St. Anselm, and St. Bernard, who preached/meditated on Mary's sorrows. Saint Ambrose, in particular, sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son’s wounds with pity but saw in them the salvation of the world. As Jesus hung on the cross, Mary did not fear being killed but offered herself to her persecutors.
The devotion to the Sorrows of Mary properly appears toward the middle of the fourteenth century. Contributing authors may have been Henry Suso (d. 1366) and other Rhenish mystics. Devotion to the five sorrows of Mary appears first and eventually develops into devotion to seven sorrows. In fact, two lists of seven sorrows were drawn up, one including the infancy and childhood of Jesus Christ, the other concentrating on the Passion.
1. The prophecy of Simeon ("a sword ...");
2. The massacre of the Innocents and flight to Egypt;
3. Jesus lost in Jerusalem;
4. Jesus arrested and judged;
5. Jesus was crucified and dying;
6. Jesus is taken down from the Cross;
7. Jesus wrapped and laid in the tomb;
and ...
1. Jesus is arrested and struck;
2. Jesus is led to Pilate to be judged;
3. Jesus is condemned to death;
4. Jesus is nailed to the Cross;
5. Jesus gives up His Spirit and dies on the Cross;
6. Jesus is taken down from the Cross;
7. Jesus is wrapped and laid in the tomb.
The commemoration of Mary's sorrows gave rise to meditations, prayers, poems, and lamentations, not to forget the representations of the Pieta. This devotion became part of the rosary, as we know, and the present form of the Seven Sorrows was popularized by John de Coudenberghe (1482):
1. The prophecy of Simeon (Lk 2:34-35);
2. The flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-21);
3. The loss of Jesus for Three Days (Lk 2:41-50);
4. The ascent to Calvary (Jn 19:17);
5. The crucifixion and death of Jesus (Jn 19:18-30);
6. Jesus is taken down from the cross (Jn 19:39-40);
7. Jesus laid in the tomb (Jn 19:39-42).
Our Lady of Sorrows holds a very special place in our hearts as grieving families of child loss. Knowing all she knew and accepting God’s will for her life and for the world, Our Blessed Mother stood at the foot of the Cross in Glory, gifting her Son to the world as an act of love for mankind. Mary’s yes, her “FIAT” to the angel Gabriel is largely revered as her most gloriest work, but it was her gifting her son back, Jesus conquered death, and His mother squishes the serpent’s head. Standing beneath the Cross in perfect virtue was the most glorious event in all of history, next to her Son’s Passion. Death no longer has power over us, Christ redeems death on the Cross, and the Blessed Mother stands in glory with Christ as he opens the Heavens for our Salvation.
