Word to the Wise
Saturday, September 15, 2018 - Sept. 15 - Our Lady of Sorrows
[Heb 5:7-9; [opt. Sequence: Stabat Mater]; John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35]SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2018. OUR LAD OF SORROWS [1 Corinthians 10:14-22 and John 19:25-27 or Luke 2:33-35] Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” [John] This feast day was inaugurated by a religious order of friars known as the “Servites” (Servants of Mary) in the 17th century. It was eventually extended to the whole church in the 19th century. It invites reflection on events in the life of Jesus that would have impacted the life of his mother - the “seven sorrows of Mary.” These are: Simeon’s prophecy (cf. the alternative gospel from Luke for today), the flight into Egypt, the disappearance of Jesus in Jerusalem, the road to Calvary, the crucifixion (cf. the alternate gospel for today from John, quoted above), the removal from the cross (captured so movingly by Michelangelo in the famous statue, the Pieta) and the burial in the tomb. There may be others that we could debate, but these are the ones that the feast includes. For many of us from an “older generation” the “Stabat Mater” hymn is a reminder of this, and the liturgy allows for its inclusion after the first scripture. The words, “At the cross her station keeping....” echo from memories of the Stations of the Cross during Lent. Perhaps the sufferings of Mary are, for many, a way of understanding the sufferings of Jesus. Some religious orders have worn a special rosary of seven decades to focus their attention on this devotion. Today, we can consider those seven sorrows and perhaps add our own in solidarity with Mary. In the end, we all stand at the foot of the cross. AMEN
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