Proper for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows [1]
(includes Optional Sequence – Stabat Mater)
Additional information about Our Lady of Sorrows
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“The Pietà (Mary Lamenting the Dead Christ)”
by Baciccio, 1667. |
Readings for Our Lady of Sorrows
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
Readings and Commentary:[3]
For this memorial, the gospel reading from the proper is used.
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a
Brothers and sisters:
As a body is one though it has many parts,
and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,
so also Christ.
For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one Body,
whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons,
and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.
Now the body is not a single part, but many.
Now you are Christ’s Body, and individually parts of it.
Some people God has designated in the Church
to be, first, Apostles; second, prophets; third, teachers;
then, mighty deeds;
then gifts of healing, assistance, administration,
and varieties of tongues.
Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?
Do all work mighty deeds? Do all have gifts of healing?
Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts.
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Commentary on 1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31a
St. Paul continues to exhort the Corinthian Christians to unity using the analogy of the body which, while it has many parts, still has a unified purpose, each part cooperating to a common goal. The apostle emphasizes that diversity of function is necessary for the church, as well as the body: “Are all Apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers?” His emphasis for the individual is to strive for spiritual gifts, a discernment of roles within the body of Christ which is the Church. (see also Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11).
CCC: 1 Cor 12:26-27 953; 1 Cor 12:26 1469; 1 Cor 12:27 1265; 1 Cor 12:28 1508; 1 Cor 12:30 1508
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
R. (3) We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
serve the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful song.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Know that the LORD is God;
he made us, his we are;
his people, the flock he tends.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
his courts with praise;
Give thanks to him; bless his name.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
For he is good,
the LORD, whose kindness endures forever,
and his faithfulness, to all generations.
R. We are his people: the sheep of his flock.
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Commentary on Ps 100:1b-2, 3, 4, 5
Psalm 100 is a communal song of thanksgiving in which the psalmist invites the people to come to God with praise and thanksgiving for the wondrous things he has done. In this selection the psalmist gives thanks for God’s favor and his unending support in all good things. It affirms God’s saving grace given to his sons and daughters through all generations. The song recalls God the creator whose love and fidelity knows no bounds.
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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. Although the address sounds unnecessarily formal ("Woman, behold, your son.") this would have been considered a polite address in biblical times. The reference, “Woman,” is possibly to Genesis 3:15 which describes the mother of the Messiah as the “woman” whose offspring conquers the devil (CCC 726, 2618). [4] The Lord, nearing the end of his life, commends the care of his mother to the disciple whom he loved. It is presumed this is done because Jesus has no brothers or sisters, and his adoptive father, Joseph, has already died.
In this instance, while it can be assumed that the disciple referred to is St. John, the author of the Gospel, the tender consignment of the care of the Lord’s mother is seen as iconic. That is, she is given into the care of all of the disciples, whom Jesus loves. Seeing her Son dying upon the cross is one of the seven sorrows the Blessed Mother endured in faith.
CCC: Jn 19:25-27 726, 2618; Jn 19:25 495; Jn 19:26-27 501, 964, 2605; Jn 19:27 2677, 2679
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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 Lk 2:33-35
In this passage we hear the prediction of Simeon, 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.” The sword indicates that Mary will have a share in her Son’s sufferings. Hers will be an unspeakable pain which pierces her soul. Our Lord suffered on the cross for our sins, and it is those sins which forge the sword of Mary’s pain.[5]
CCC: Lk 2:32 713; Lk 2:34 575, 587; Lk 2:35 149, 618
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Reflection:
Heavenly Father, we humbly pray that those suffering from the coronavirus be returned quickly to full health by the power of your Son’s healing presence, and those in fear be calmed through the Holy Spirit.
In Christ’s name we pray. – Amen.
Today we remember Mary the Mother of God who followed her Son through his life and thereby suffered as only a mother can suffer. The Church traditionally remembers seven specific events in the life of Mary that are called her Seven Sorrows. (Note the Hebrew numerological significance of the perfect number, seven (7).) It is noteworthy that all of her Seven Sorrows were scriptural. They include:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon.
2. The Flight into Egypt.
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days.
4. Meeting Jesus on the Way to Calvary.
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
6. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross.
7. Jesus Laid in the Tomb.
Two of these events are options for our Gospel today. In John we find Mary at the foot of the Cross as Jesus is being crucified and in Luke, she is hearing the awful prophecy from Simeon the mystic. While the Gospel of Luke predicts the sword of sorrow that will pierce Mary’s heart, it is more wrenching to hear the story of that event taking place in the Gospel of John.
Anyone who has had a child badly hurt can get an idea of the suffering Mary went through at the Cross. Only one who as lost a child in death can fully come to grips with Mary’s anguish as she watches her Son slip into death on the Cross. We can feel her pain as her “brave little soldier” has spikes driven through his hands and feet. We can feel the hot tears as he is taken down from that place and laid, dead, beyond help, in a stranger’s tomb.
It is because of her humanness that we can so easily identify with her. It is at these moments in her life, when pain and suffering threatened to overcome her, that Mary demonstrates the virtue and strength of one who was worthy of the title Mother of God. Mary always shows us the strength of the Holy Spirit and the peace only faith in her Son can bring.
Today’s memorial is a reaffirming event for us. The Son of God, who is True God and True Man had a mother, Mary. His mother went through the same human trials that mothers from the beginning of human history have endured. She has demonstrated for us the fruits of faith and the strength of love that is our example of virtue.
Our prayer today is a simple one. We take it from the hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa:
Make me feel as thou hast felt;
make my soul to glow and melt
with the love of Christ, my Lord.
In this strange year where many of us will not be able to receive the Blessed Sacrament or celebrate as a community in our houses of worship, we must be prepared to receive spiritual communion in prayer:
My Jesus,
I believe that You
are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You.
Amen.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Pietà (Mary Lamenting the Dead Christ)” by Baciccio, 1667.
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[4] Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, © 2010, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA. p. 198.
[5] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002, p.363.
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