In Part 1, the image from The Divine Mercy website states:
“The Key to Peace: Emulate Mary’s Surrender.”
Why did Our Blessed Lord give us His Mother (through Saint John), from the Holy Cross, as He suffered so terribly? Why has Holy Church given her the title “Our Lady of Sorrows?” It is to honor her, of course, and her grievous pain. It is also for the purpose of ministering to us, the Body of Christ. Suffering is part of life. During these unprecedented times, the trials of humanity are unique in history. We know not what the future holds, but we do know it will be greatly challenging, and in fact, already is. Our Blessed Mother teaches us the way to suffer in peace. It seems a contradiction, but all is possible with God’s grace. Even through the worst of Our Lord’s Passion, she never despaired, trusting in God’s plan for salvation. We can do the same. Emulate her surrender.
On the above link, there is an article by the late Stephen LaChance. He brings out a great insight on the “Pieta” sculpture…
Michelangelo has carved into his Pieta an element as profound as it is subtle. Off to one side, almost hidden behind the lifeless body of Christ, Mary's left hand lies open in a sign of surrender to God. This gesture symbolizes her entire life.
In the Scriptures, starting with the words of her fiat, "Be it done unto me according to your word," to her patient waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit, we see Mary living in complete acceptance of the will of God. Tradition has developed this surrender as epitomized in seven of Mary's sorrows:
The Prophesy of Simeon, The Exile in Egypt, The Loss of Jesus in the Temple, The Way of the Cross, The Crucifixion, The Descent from the Cross, The Burial of Jesus
He goes on to discuss the feast of the Triumph (Exaltation) of the Holy Cross…
Standing by the cross of her Son, she offers all these pains for our benefit. Standing with her, we see the solution to the problem of evil. We look at the all-powerful, all-good God and see Him suffer and die, in the Person of Christ.
This seeming contradiction has led the Church to celebrate a feast called the Triumph of the Holy Cross (Sept. 14). This triumph is the paradox of the cross, which St. Paul calls "a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ [is] the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
This feast is celebrated the day before the Sorrows of Mary. It makes sense that these two feasts are so connected, but it is surprising that the Triumph comes before the Sorrows. Where else in the world does triumph come before sorrow, or when does victory come before the battle? Yet the inspired wisdom of the Church does not fail us in this regard. For it is only in light of the Triumph of the Cross that the Sorrows of Mary and our sorrows have any meaning.
Take a look at The Divine Mercy site for the full article and much more. Their shrine is in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. It is a beautiful place. I will be there with my family in 2 weeks!
Our Lady of Sorrows, or the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, is celebrated September 15th. We will post the prayers from the Tridentine Mass on that day. Though this month has a sad cast to it, remember we also honored Mary’s joyful nativity on the 8th and will honor the Most Holy Name of Mary on the 12th.
Some other feasts of note are: The Ember Days of Autumn (prayer and penance for the coming season), starting on the 20th, Saint Matthew on the 21st, Saint Padre Pio on the 23rd and the Archangels on the 29th. For the full traditional calendar, please see: calefactory.org
