Our Lady of Sorrows

“Mary endures the greatest of suffering at the foot of the cross: the death of her Son...At the cross Mary dies in her heart as Mother. If she remains standing, it is because she discovers, beyond Christ’s humanity, the Word in the bosom of the Father.  She, therefore, discovers that, in love, everything remains, everything lasts. She contemplates the victory of love. And love’s victory enables her to remain standing and to live the mystery of the cross in unison with Christ’s heart, in unison with him who is the Resurrection.”  ~ Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P.

Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Mary endured one of the most horrific events that any parent is faced with; the death of her child. Mary stood at the foot of the cross and bore the pain and anguish that her son suffered. Her heart was pierced along with her Son’s. Meditating on this draws me closer to Mary. Rather than seeming like someone who is beyond me and who has no connection with a sinful, stumbling woman like myself, I can share in her sorrow. She becomes deeply human and is an example of courage and strength. I can call upon her to sustain me during my trials and sufferings in this life. It is only with the hope of the Resurrection that we are able to move through our suffering and find peace in the love of Christ.

It is fitting that the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows comes the day after the Church celebrates the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. It is at the foot of the cross that Mary’s heart is pierced with sorrow and it is at the foot of the cross that she finds strength in the love of the Father.   

“The mystery of the cross is intolerable considered from without…If considered from within, one discovers the cross as the victory of love, and as a means. The cross is not a stopping point. The cross is a passageway; it is a Passover. The cross is God’s true ‘passage.’ But one does not stop or remain there. One does not abide in the cross; one abides in love… one does not abide in suffering, but in love. And because one abides in love, one assumes suffering; one assumes the cross… the cross is unbearable if viewed from the outside. The cross is wisdom if viewed in light of faith, that is, from the inside, as God himself views it.”  ~ Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P.