Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Alternate Proper for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Readings for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible

Readings and Commentary:[3]
The Gospel for this memorial is proper. First Readings and Psalm Response
are from Tuesday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1: 1 Timothy 3:1-13

Beloved, this saying is trustworthy:
whoever aspires to the office of bishop desires a noble task.
Therefore, a bishop must be irreproachable,
married only once, temperate, self-controlled,
decent, hospitable, able to teach,
not a drunkard, not aggressive, but gentle,
not contentious, not a lover of money.
He must manage his own household well,
keeping his children under control with perfect dignity;
for if a man does not know how to manage his own household,
how can he take care of the Church of God?
He should not be a recent convert,
so that he may not become conceited
and thus incur the Devil’s punishment.
He must also have a good reputation among outsiders,
so that he may not fall into disgrace, the Devil’s trap.

Similarly, deacons must be dignified, not deceitful,
not addicted to drink, not greedy for sordid gain,
holding fast to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Moreover, they should be tested first;
then, if there is nothing against them,
let them serve as deacons.
Women, similarly, should be dignified, not slanderers,
but temperate and faithful in everything.
Deacons may be married only once
and must manage their children and their households well.
Thus those who serve well as deacons gain good standing
and much confidence in their faith in Christ Jesus.
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Commentary on 1 Tm 3:1-13

St. Paul gives instructions in this passage on the character of Presbyter-Bishops (episkopos) and Deacons (diakonos) in the early Church. Both are required to be faith filled and moderate in their habits. Bishops additionally are to have the ability to teach and reputations and temperament respected both inside the Christian community and out.

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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 101:1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6

R. (2) I will walk with blameless heart.

Of mercy and judgment I will sing;
to you, O LORD, I will sing praise.
I will persevere in the way of integrity;
when will you come to me?
R. I will walk with blameless heart

I will walk with blameless heart,
within my house;
I will not set before my eyes
any base thing.
R. I will walk with blameless heart

Whoever slanders his neighbor in secret,
him will I destroy.
The man of haughty eyes and puffed up heart
I will not endure.
R. I will walk with blameless heart

My eyes are upon the faithful of the land,
that they may dwell with me.
He who walks in the way of integrity
shall be in my service.
R. I will walk with blameless heart.
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Commentary on Ps 101:1b-2ab, 2cd-3ab, 5, 6

Psalm 101 is a pledge of faithfulness. The strophes used today describe the character and temperament of those elect who walk the path of service to the Lord. The song also uses the antithesis of these characteristics to emphasize the need for upright behavior.

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GOSPEL
First Option
John 19:25-27

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved
he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son."
Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother."
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
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Commentary on Jn 19:25-27

Here is Jesus’ last address to his mother. The Lord, nearing the end of his life commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved (presumably St. John). Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.

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OR
Second Option
Luke 2:33-35

Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
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Commentary on

In this passage we hear Simeon’s prediction, a man, we are told earlier, who “was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel”. Simeon was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not pass away until he had seen the Messiah. He has declared that this promise has been fulfilled and then turns to Mary and makes the prediction about the nature of Christ’s ministry and the nature of the sorrow she will endure, “and you yourself a sword will pierce”

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Reflection:

From the earliest times the virtuous character the Lord expects in his servants has been handed down to us. In songs and canticles, from the earliest times, humility, kindness, and generosity have been extolled; not to mention faith, hope and love, the great theological virtues. These virtues, implicit in the Law of Moses and exhorted by the prophets came to be absolutely personified in the person of Christ. In him all the perfection of the Father resides and in Him we find the highest expression of virtue.

But his perfection was given to us at a huge price. To be brought into the world God’s perfect love needed a perfect vessel. He created this vessel in the Blessed Mother of Jesus, Mary Most Holy. Free from any blemish of sin, she bore God’s Son and, because God who is love found a human form that required love to flourish, St. Mary expressed her love for her Son without reservation, completely dedicated to him.

Being a human mother, like any other mother in all things but sin, she felt the pains of being selected for that noble role. Tradition notes seven distinct sorrows of her motherhood:[4]

>at the prophecy of Simeon;
>at the flight into Egypt;
>having lost the Holy Child at Jerusalem;
> meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary;
>standing at the foot of the Cross;
>Jesus being taken from the Cross;
>at the burial of Christ.

All these things she endured. Never once did she turn aside; never once did she question God’s plan, never once did she fail in her love. We recall the pain she endured especially on this day in solemn remembrance of the human cost of our salvation. In her perfect love she suffered most perfectly, most deeply and all this was done for us. Our gratitude to the Blessed Mother of Jesus, especially on this day, is unbounded.

Pax

[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Pietà” by Luis de Morales, 1560s
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] Holweck, F. (1912). Feasts of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved September 15, 2009 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14151b.htm