The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

September 15th is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. My favorite image of Our Lady of Sorrows is “Dolorosa,” painted by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo in 1670. Here Mary appears not sad with tears streaming down her face; instead, the artist depicts Mary with eyes, face, and hands lifted in prayer. Murillo portrays Mary’s entire body in supplication as if offering her sorrow and grief to the Father.

Through Mary’s Immaculate Conception, she received a special grace that allowed the merits of Christ’s redemption to be applied at the moment of her conception. (1)  Because of that, we may dismiss or minimize the testimony of Mary’s life and her sacrificial suffering. We may think that she had no choice but to say, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word,” ¹ and was incapable of sin. But we would be wrong—Mary had free will just as we do.

Perhaps we forget that the first woman, Eve, was created without the stain of sin in her soul. Moreover, Eve certainly had no worries or anxieties before the fall. Yet the absence of concupiscence, as original sin confers to us, did not keep Eve from sinning (nor her husband, Adam).

Mary’s Immaculate Conception was not sufficient to preserve Mary from sinning—Eve demonstrated that through her unfortunate choice. But because the Son of God was to "tabernacle" and grow in Mary’s womb and she was to give birth to the Son of God, her Immaculate Conception was necessary to provide honor and glory to whom Jesus was and is! And although Mary had free will, rather than sinning, she chose to cooperate fully with the extraordinary graces given to her. (2)

Thus, the Immaculate Conception was necessary to honor Christ’s divinity but not sufficient to keep Mary free from committing any sin. A life lived free from sin required effort on Mary's part. The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrow reminds us that Mary did know unspeakable suffering and sorrow. Her complete trust and submission to the will of God through the events associated with this Feast of Seven Sorrows and, indeed, agreeing to carry Jesus in her womb before she lived with Joseph, all took place in a fallen world. She had choices and she chose well.

The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary that are historically associated with this feast are:

1.      The prophecy of Simeon that a sword would pierce the heart of Mary at the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2: 34-35).

2.      The Holy Family’s terrifying flight into Egypt to save the child Jesus from Herod’s massacre of the Holy Innocents (Matthew 2: 13-14)

3.      The loss of Jesus at age twelve in the Temple of Jerusalem after Passover (Luke 2: 41-50)

4.      Mary’s encounter with Jesus on His way to Calvary while carrying His cross (Traditional Fourth Station of the Cross)

5.      The Crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:45-56, Mark 15: 33-41, Luke 23: 33-49, John 19: 17-20)

6.      Mary witnesses the piercing of the side of Jesus and holding His body removed from the Cross (John 19: 31-37)

7.      The burial of Jesus. (Matthew 27: 57-61, Mark 15: 42-47, Luke 23:50-56, John 19: 38-42

When I pray the Mysteries of the Rosary, I often reflect on just how much Mary must have trusted in the Lord when her understanding was lacking or incomplete. She watched as God’s plan of salvation unfolded without the complete picture that we, who are on this side of the Cross, are presented with through the Scriptures.

Mary understands our pain and losses more than we do because her Immaculate Heart is perfectly united to her Son’s Sacred Heart. Mother Mary is the pinnacle of God’s creation and worthy of our love, honor. 

Mary, Mother of Sorrows, pray for us!

(1) See https://www.ncregister.com/blog/did-mary-need-to-be-redeemed.

(2) See https://www.catholic.com/qa/did-mary-have-free-will.