Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for us

 

 ~

"  Consider how love draws all the pains, 

all the torments, all the sufferings, all the sorrows,

the wounds, the passion, the cross, 

and even the death of our Redeemer

into the heart of his most holy Mother."

- St. Francis DeSales

~

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. I have developed a deeper devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows over the past several years, and this is probably my favorite Marian feast day. When I am suffering and consumed with great sorrow, I find such consolation in turning to Our Lady of Sorrows. After all, she bore the greatest sorrows in her heart; to stand by the side of the Cross and watch her Son and Savior be crucified. No one can even begin to fathom the depths of sorrow, sadness, and pain that she experienced. What human being could better understand the depths of our own unique suffering, then? Who could better know the special pain of our crosses, the ones that we pick up day in, and day out?

When I am going through a difficult time in my life, and experiencing a particular sorrow, I find a great comfort and strength in talking with others who are also enduring great suffering.  There is such solace found in uniting ourselves with others who are in the midst of pain, for they know in a deep, profound way that pain plagues our hearts. It is like this with Our Lady of Sorrows, too, except she understands our suffering much deeper than any other human being could. And her heart is more closely united with the Savior's heart than any other human heart. If we join our sorrow to her sorrows then, we join them together in the Savior's Sacred Heart to become purified, healed, and made new.