Our Lady of Sorrows

Memorial, September 15

The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, observed on September 15th, the day after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, honours the compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary who stood at the foot of the Cross and shared in the Passion of her Son with a suffering that is beyond human words to express. The seven sorrows of Mary have been the subject of Catholic meditation since the early medieval period, and the Servite Order in particular has made devotion to the Sorrowful Mother the heart of its spirituality.

The seven sorrows of Mary are traditionally enumerated as follows: the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation, who told Mary that a sword would pierce her own soul; the flight into Egypt to escape the massacre ordered by Herod; the loss of the Child Jesus in the temple for three days; the meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way of the Cross; the Crucifixion and death of Jesus; the taking down of Jesus's body from the Cross and its reception in Mary's arms; and the burial of Jesus and the closing of the tomb. Each of these sorrows corresponds to a moment of anguish in Mary's maternal heart, and together they trace the arc of her compassion from the beginning of Christ's life to the end.

The Stabat Mater, one of the great hymns of the Catholic liturgy, was composed in the thirteenth century to give voice to this meditation. It depicts Mary standing at the foot of the Cross, her heart pierced with grief, and invites the faithful to ask for a share in her compassion so that they too might suffer with Christ and share in the fruit of His Passion. The hymn has been set to music by many of the greatest composers in the history of Western music.

The theological significance of Mary's sorrows lies in her unique participation in the Redemption as the Mother of the Redeemer. She is not merely a passive spectator at the Passion but an active co-sufferer, offering her maternal grief in union with her Son's sacrifice. The Church sees in her sorrows the fulfilment of Simeon's prophecy and the most perfect human response to the mystery of the Cross.