I love looking at the history of what we honor and celebrate in the Church. Historically, there were once two feasts in the liturgical calendar that honored Mary as the Sorrowful Mother. There was a feast commemorated on the Friday before Palm Sunday and there was another feast in September, which continues as the feast we commemorate today.
There are two biblical sources of Mary’s sorrows. In the second chapter of Luke, Simeon makes a prediction of a sword piercing Mary’s soul. Many theologians in the Early Church interpreted the sword as Mary’s sorrows, especially as she stood by her son throughout his passion and his death on the cross. The second passage from John related to Jesus’ words from the cross, addressing his mother and his beloved disciple. Thus, these two passages, which are both offered as possible Gospel readings for today’s feast, taken together are the prediction and the fulfillment.
St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan in the 4th century and mentor to influential theologian St Augustine, saw Mary as both a powerful and sorrowful presence who stood by Jesus while he died on the cross. While many of Jesus other disciples and friend fled in fear, Mary was at his side. She look at her son’s wounds with love, pity, and compassion. Yet, she always saw in those wounds the salvation of the world. Mary did not fear death. She would have willingly given up her life for her faith. Mary, the first disciple of her son, kept her sorrows in her heart.
When I was a pastor in Yazoo City, Sister Paulinus, as Sister of Mercy from Vicksburg who had a long faithful presence in our Diocese, came to console a lady at our parish who lost her son in a tragic way. Sister Paulinus told her that she saw in her the Sorrowful Mother who always was there for son and never gave up on him. There are many sorrowful mothers in the world today who stand by their children and their families. We lift the up to Mary today, as we recognize her as Our Lady of Sorrows today.
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