Word to the Wise
Thursday, September 15, 2016 - Sept. 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows
[Heb 5:7-9; [opt. Sequence: Stabat Mater]; John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35,710]"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]
The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows features a choice of gospel scriptures. The first, from the Gospel of John, is the scene at the foot of the cross in which Jesus' entrusts his mother's welfare to the Beloved Disciple. This scene is also celebrated in the optional "sequence" (a poem read on certain feasts before the gospel) known as the STABAT MATER. The second choice is taken from the scene known in the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary as the "Presentation." Both scriptures highlight the understandably heroic life and suffering of the mother of Jesus.
Whether one starts reflection with Simeon's prophecy or with Jesus' words from the cross, Mary remains as a suffering witness to Jesus' mission. She accepted the message of the angel, "Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." That set in motion a life that seemed to be a normal village life in Nazareth until Jesus began his ministry. Then life began to cascade toward the terrible end at the cross and the final mention of her at Pentecost.
Mary has many titles and is honored in many ways. Today we honor her courage and suffering for the sake of our own salvation in Jesus' life, death and resurrection. She did everything a mother could do! AMEN
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