Prayer of the Day

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

After the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,  today,  with the Church,  we honour Mary,  Our Lady of Sorrows.   Mary,  the Stabat  Mater, standing at the foot of the Cross,  participated in her Son’s work of redemption by uniting her pain and sorrow to those of Jesus,  thus offering her life as a spiritual sacrifice to the Lord.  Mary,  although married,  was both a virgin and a contemplative.  In his Gospel,  St. Luke identifies the disposition of the contemplative so beautifully as someone whose heart is open to treasure and ponder the mysteries of Christ,  as Mary did on many occasions.  She particularly must have reflected long on Simeon’s words when he saw Jesus in the temple: “Behold this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel.”

We,  believers,  have received from Jesus every spiritual gift,  which includes,  of  course,  his Word,  the Holy Spirit,  but we must also include the gift of Mary.  Mary is Jesus’ gift to us,  and we must welcome her into our hearts and homes.  Today,  we praise God for Mary’s presence at the foot of the Cross.  She is the model for us all,  and we too need to look at Jesus from the prospective of his Cross.  Mary, like her Son,  was familiar with suffering.   We join our suffering to hers,  and pray for the same grade of courage,  perseverance and trust.