Memorial of the Mother of Sorrows

The Sorrows of the Blessed Mother, Mary

Rev. Marcel Emeka Okwara, CSsR

Memorial of the Mother of Sorrows

St. Mary of the Assumption Church, Whittier, CA

September 15, 2015

The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Mother Mary that caused her pain, anguish, tears, and sorrow. Yesterday, we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross of Jesus Christ. Today, we celebrate what I will like to call “Mary’s own cross.” A good mother suffers when her son is suffering. As Jesus suffered, Mary, the best Mother of all, suffered as well. In fact, her own suffering began even before Jesus was conceived and born. The Angel Gabriel's prophecy surely rattled her. What does a sixteen-year-old girl know about becoming pregnant by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit? Check this out! After the greeting of the angel: “Hail, Mary, you who are highly favored. The Lord is with you” (Luke 1:28), verse 28 of the same Gospel tells us that “Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what sort of greeting this might be.” It was expected. She was a little village girl. The whole episode certainly gave her sleepless nights. Then her conception without the involvement of Joseph must have brought a lot of stress to her. Let’s not forget that as soon as Joseph discovered that she was pregnant, he planned to send her packing. Do not forget that Mary was a human being like us. She too struggled and suffered in her heart over how to explain her situation to her husband. If Joseph had told his kinsmen that she was pregnant, but not by him, she could have faced the death penalty by stoning. Adultery in those days carried a death sentence. Even though the Blessed Mother knew the origin of her pregnancy, like every human person, she must have struggled with how to explain her situation. After all, the Angel Gabriel's visit was private. But today, we celebrate the key seven sorrows of the Blessed Mother, and they are these:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35) or the Circumcision of Christ

2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13)

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

4. Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary.

5. Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25)

6. The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary’s receiving his body in her arms (Matthew 27:57–59).

7. The body of Jesus is placed in the tomb. (John 19:40–42)

But we cannot adequately celebrate the Sorrows of the Blessed Mother Mary without calling to mind the sorrows of many women, many mothers, many girls in our society. Today, let’s remember and pray that the Sorrows of the Blessed Mother will bring relief and healing to the following:

Mothers of drug addicts and peddlers 

Mothers of prostitutes 

Mothers whose young sons were innocently gunned down and killed

Mothers of criminals 

Mothers of the kidnapped 

Mothers of the imprisoned

Mothers with abusive husbands

Mothers of serial killers 

Mothers of rapists and the raped

Mothers of the homeless

Mothers whose children have broken their hearts

Depressed and suffering mother

Single mothers and widowed mothers 

Mothers of those at the margins of society and mothers of the forgotten.