Saint of the Day for September 15
The Story of Our Lady of Sorrows
For a while, there were two feasts in honor of the Sorrowful Mother: one going back to the 15th century, the other to the 17th century. For a while, both were celebrated by the universal Church: one on Friday before Palm Sunday, the other in September.
The principal biblical references to Mary’s sorrows are in Luke 2:35 and John 19:26-27. The Lucan passage is Simeon’s prediction about a sword piercing Mary’s soul; the Johannine passage relates Jesus’ words from the cross to Mary and to the beloved disciple.
Many early Church writers interpret the sword as Mary’s sorrow, especially as she saw Jesus die on the cross. Thus, the two passages are brought together as prediction and fulfillment.
Saint Ambrose in particular sees Mary as a sorrowful yet powerful figure at the cross. Mary stood fearlessly at the cross while others fled. Mary looked on her Son’s wounds with pity but saw in them the salvation of the world. As Jesus hung on the cross, Mary did not fear being killed but offered herself to her persecutors.
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