Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Every time we celebrate a feast of the Blessed Mother, we venerate Mary and recall her part in God’s plan for our salvation. Her special place in the Church, of course, flows from her special place in God’s plan.
Yesterday we celebrated the Triumph of the Cross. Today we see another side of that mystery. It is a very human element. Mary was the one through whom the Word became human and alive.
Today’s feast shows us a very real element of the cross because it shows us a very real part of the human condition. All of us experience the cross in one way or another. And in doing so all of us know sorrow, we experience pain. We are all united in many ways. One of those is in the world of human emotion. We understand Mary’s sorrow. We say we suffer with another—we have sympathy for others.
We do not ignore the pain Mary felt at the death of Jesus. Yet we put the death of Jesus in the context of his mission, and we see Mary’s role in that plan as well.
In John’s gospel, we read “And I when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” And, in today’s gospel, Simeon speaks to us, “This child is destined to be the downfall and the rise of many in Israel.” This prophecy may have made little sense to Mary and Joseph when they heard it. But throughout her life with Jesus, Mary no doubt came to understand what those words meant.
We think of Mary’s great prayer, the Magnificat. Though first used as a prayer of gratitude, it was, in a way, a kind of prophecy. At the death of the savior, its words hold new meaning: He has put down the mighty from their thrones and has exalted the lowly. He has given help to Israel, mindful of his mercy, just as he promised Abraham and his descendants forever.
Jesus united with us in our state of sin. He gave us Mary, his mother, our mother. We unite with her in her sorrows, in every age. Mary, Mother of the Church, pray for us.
Reflection by Fr. Peter Ullrich, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections