SATURDAY OF OUR LADY

Photo: R. Massaro (C)2017 Spirit Singing St. Judy Church Elyria, Ohio

I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of thy compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance and His Heart was pierced before His body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by thy heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. 

The Seven promises to those who honor the seven sorrows of Mary:

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary's and meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). The devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:

1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
7. I have obtained from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

THE SEVEN SORROWS DEVOTION

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, OCDS

   

Heartbreakers:The Seven Sorrows of the Saints

Photo: R. Massaro St. Luke Chuch, Danville, Ohio

Recently, on September 15, we celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. There is a beautiful devotion to Our Lady under this title that one can pray on rosary beads, it's the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. Although I'm sure our Blessed Mother had many more sorrows than the traditional seven that are listed below, the Church asks us to meditate upon these while saying this Chaplet.

1.  The Prophecy of Simeon
2.  The Flight into Egypt
3.  The Loss of Jesus in the Temple
4.  Mary meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary
5.  The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
6.  The taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross (Pieta)
7.  The Burial of Jesus

Here is a website that will help you to learn to say the Chaplet that is also known as the Servite Rosary:

http://www.rosaryandchaplets.com/chaplets/seven_sorrows_prayer.html


When we read the lives of the saints, we learn that many things in life made them sorrowful. Similarly, in today's society, there are many issues that cause Catholics, Christians, and good people to be sorrowful.  The saints are people who strive to console the heart of God by living a holy life and in some way try to make up for those who offend Him. Let us consider how the saints would be spiritually wounded in light of today's society (these are in no particular order):

1. God is Not Loved in the World; He is Rejected By Man.

The Prophecy of Simeon is the First Sorrow of Our Lady. While holding the Christ Child, the holy man raises his eyes to heaven and states, Now, Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word, for my eyes have witness your saving deed displayed for all the people to see... (Luke 2:29-31).

God sent his only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Redeemer, and He is rejected over and over again by people who desire to live as they please. There is no sense of sin or thought of offending Almighty God. Even among the faithful, there are those who reject him and the Church's teachings.


2.  The Lord's Day is Not Kept Holy.

On Sunday, it's business as usual in the marketplace and in our homes. Long gone are the "Blue Laws" our country once observed. While most Blue Laws or "Sunday Closing Laws" have been repealed, some laws such as the sale of alcohol remain in effect. The laws that were established in the age of Puritanism were not enacted to give people a day of rest, but were written to respect the Sabbath.

The lack of keeping the Lord's Day holy must have been a sorrow for St. Pope John Paul II, because he wrote an Apostolic Letter on this very subject. Here is a quote from his letter:

Unfortunately, when Sunday loses its fundamental meaning and becomes merely part of a "weekend", it can happen that people stay locked within a horizon so limited that they can no longer see "the heavens". Hence, though ready to celebrate, they are really incapable of doing so. 

 It is clear then why, even in our own difficult times, the identity of this day must be protected and above all must be lived in all its depth. (Dies Domini, No. 4, 30).


3.  Abuse, torture, and killing of God's children.

The Second Sorrow of Our Lady is the flight into Egypt.  Herod desired to kill the Christ child.  In our society, there are many, many, who desire to kill children while they are still living in their mother's womb. Children are abused, tortured, and starved on a daily basis in some homes. In the Middle East, Christians are being persecuted and beheaded for their faith in Jesus Christ.

4.  The worship of false gods.

The third sorrow of Our Lady is the loss of the child Jesus in the temple.  When Jesus was found, he boldly declared,  Did you not know that I must be about my Father's business?  In our society, it seems that the Father's business is none of our business. We live in an age of materialism, individualism, and relativism, spiritual illnesses in which we worship ourselves and not God.

5.  Presuming on God's mercy.

One has only to speak to a neighbor, relative, or friend, or pick up the local newspaper and read the obituaries to learn that absolutely everyone is going to heaven. And not just going there by way of Purgatory, but going there directly when they die-the condition and state of being of a saint. 

In our society there is a deep lack of a sense of sin, and no desire to be accountable or purified of the sins one has committed during his or her life. Then,when one dies, a funeral becomes a eulogy in which the deceased is lifted on a spiritual pedestal and canonized by the family.

6.  Blasphemies against the Holy Eucharist.

Today, our Lord has many enemies. There are those who wish to desecrate the most Holy Eucharist. Churches are vandalized. Statues and religious articles are destroyed or desecrated by those claiming artistic freedom. Even among the faithful, sacrilegious communions take place.

7.  The Blessed Mother is not duly honored in the world.

St. Louis de Montfort, in his spiritual masterpiece, True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, writes:

It was through the blessed Virgin Mary that Jesus Christ came into the world, and it is also through her that he must reign in the world. (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin, Introduction, No. 1).

I admire good Catholics who never seem to tire of defending Our Lady and explaining her role in the Church: to bring each soul to her Son, Jesus Christ. She is our model of prayer, humility, and obedience. 

At the beginning of this article, I listed the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady. Sadly, we could update and lengthen this list in light of how Our Lady is treated in the world today. 

Our Lady of Lourdes spoke these tender words tinged with sorrow to St. Bernadette:  I do not promise to make you happy in this life, but in the next. 

Yes, Our Lady confirms what we have come to know, that life and striving for holiness is, at times, a "Valley of Tears." But in God's mercy and goodness, he gives us joys to balance our afflictions. He gives us the joy of receiving him in the Holy Eucharist. The joy of having good and holy friends to imitate, the Communion of Saints. The joy of having a Holy Mother who never abandons us, even when we are sorrowful to the point of despair over our sins. As Catholics, we have the "best of both worlds." Why? Because we have Our Lord present with us in the Blessed Sacrament and we can receive him daily if we wish. And, if we are faithful, we will be with him forever.

We have discussed the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady and of the saints. If you have the courage, consider the  "Seven Sorrows" of your own personal life. Whatever our sorrows, or our great sins, if we are truly sorry, the Lord forgives us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. When we have repented, he then consoles us. The Holy Spirit is the great Consoler. Our Lady of Sorrows, Spouse of the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, pray for us!

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, OCDS

Saturday of Our Lady

Consider the sighs which burst from Mary's sad heart when she saw her beloved Jesus laid within the tomb. What grief was hers when she saw the stone lifted to cover that sacred tomb! She gazed for the last time on that lifeless body of her Son, and could scarcely detach  her eyes from those gaping wounds. And  when the great stone was rolled to  the door of the sepulchure , oh, then, indeed, her heart seemed torn from her body.

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds

THE FIRST STATION:
JESUS IS CONDEMNED TO DEATH

Pilate said to the crowd: Here is the Man...then he handed him over to them to be crucified. (John 19,5,16)

The man Pilate-a symbol of the pride, wealth and power of the Roman Empire. A symbol perhaps of an ugly humanity which in pride only seeks domination, power and self-glory.

The man Jesus- His is another humanity, a divine humanity. Jesus is the fulfillment and promise of all that man can truly become: humble, dignified, full of peace, love and compassion.

In life we have a choice: to become the kind of man Pilate stands for, or to live the kind of divine humanity that Jesus invites us to live.

Lord, may you grant me the grace,
not to condemn love but to live love,
not to condemn life but to live life,
to condemn no one but to pardon all,
and to follow the way you show me,
the way you walked before me,
along the path of your divine humanity.
(From The Lourdes Way of the Cross)

The Rosary of the Seven Sorrows







Peace be with you!
Rosemarie, ocds
________________________

OUR LADY OF SORROWS

I recently returned from my pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. I remembered all of the readers of Spirit Singing in my prayers at Our Lady's Shrine.  I'll share some pictures of the shrine in the coming days.

SEVEN SORROWS OF OUR LADY

The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus. (Gospel of Luke 2:34)

The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Gospel of Matthew 2:13)

The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)

The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)

The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (Gospel of John 19:25)

The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)

The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)

Sorrowful Mother Shrine-Bellevue, Ohio

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READ MORE ABOUT DEVOTION

TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS

Peace be with you!
Rosemarie,ocds
________________

Saturday of Our Lady

Our Lady of Sorrows

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). The Hail Mary is prayed seven times , once after each meditation. This devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.

The Seven Graces:

1. I will grant peace to their families.

2. They will be enlightened by the divine mysteries.

3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.

4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.

5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.

6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

7. I have obtained (This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness since all of their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

The Seven Sorrows:

1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34,35)

2. The flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-14)

3. The loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43-45)

4. The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross

5. The Crucifixion

6. The taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross

7. The burial of Jesus

The Hail Mary: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Sorrowful Mother Shrine-Bellevue, Ohio

http://www.sorrowfulmothershrine.com/

Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!

Peace be with you!

Rosemarie, ocds