Maria Mater Dolorosa

Sept 15: Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

The gymnasium was packed with people welcoming someone claiming to be a "Living Dead", saying he had been dead, embalmed, and then came alive again with a mission to heal and preach...

But that night we were at the chapel for our conference on The Seven Dolors of Mary. We learned about the seven sorrows, meditated on each sorrow, offered sincere prayers after each meditation. As Apostles of Mary we saw it was our duty to learn and love the feast days of Our Lady so that we would have a living devotion to her and be ever ready to ezplain about her feasts and her important role as Co-Redemptrix.


The devotion is very beautiful because the promises of Our Lady to those who accompany her by a devotion to her Seven Sorrows are marvelous.

Her 7 promises to those devoted to her Sorrows are:
1. I will grant peace to their families.
2. They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of My Divine Son or the sanctification of souls.
5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their MOther.
7. I have obtained (this Grace) from My Divine Son, that those who propagate devotion to my tears and dolors, will be taken directly from the earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and My Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.

How beautiful to die and be taken directly to eternal happiness! If you want to know the Seven Sorrows, here they are:
1. The Prophecy of Simeon.
(Our Lady was told her Son would be a sign of Contradiction, that a sword will pierce her heart.)
2. The Flight to Egypt.
(The Blessed Mother's heart was grieved that her little innocent Baby was being hunted by Herod and his men, wanting Him dead.)
3. The Loss of the Holy Child in Jerusalem
(The Blessed Mother was very sad because the Child Jesus was lost! What could have happened to Him? The Divine Son entrusted to her safekeeping by God! What loss!)
4. Meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary
(Our Lady had to see Him bleeding, carrying the Cross, falling on the ground, spat upon, crowned with thorns, jeered at, hated...)
5. Standing at the foot of the Cross
(The Blessed Mother kept Her Son company as he hung dying on the Cross and heard his anguished seven last words... and she was desolate, left by the disciples who had become afraid.)
6. Taking down Jesus from the Cross
(Finally, She took into Her arms the dead body of Her Son and God. The Mother's heart was very sad to hold her dead, cruelly treated Son.)
7. Burial of Jesus
(Covering His dead body and laying Him in a stranger's sepulchre in a rush... She did not even have enough time to bid goodbye before the stone had to be rolled in and they had to go home to observe the Sabbath.)

After each explanation, we had a short meditation and prayer, and said a Hail Mary.

At the 1st Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of humility and the gift of holy fear of God.
At the 2nd Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of generosity, especially towards the poor, and the gift of piety.
At the 3rd Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge.
At the 4th Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.
At the 5th Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
At the 6th Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
At the 7th Sorrow, we asked for the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.

May we persevere.... May God grant us the grace to see Our Blessed MOther at the moment of death!