Lives Of The Saints
September 15
The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mary remained faithful through every sorrow, from Simeon's prophecy to the burial of Jesus. Her Seven Sorrows lead the faithful into deeper compassion, repentance, and love for Christ crucified.
Mater Dolorosa, from the workshop of Dieric Bouts
Brief life
Mary stood beside her Son in suffering and remained faithful. The Church honors her sorrows because her compassion was united perfectly to the Passion of Christ, from the first prophecy of suffering to the burial of His sacred body.
The older Western commemoration focused especially on Our Lady's suffering during Passion week. The Servite devotion gathered seven sorrows from across her life: Simeon's prophecy, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the Child Jesus, the meeting on the road to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the taking down of Christ's body from the Cross, and His burial. The fixed list gave Christians a clear path for meditating on Mary's steadfast love.
Devotion to the Seven Sorrows does not seek sadness for its own sake. It asks the faithful to remain with Mary at the foot of the Cross, to grieve for sin, and to learn the compassion that does not abandon Christ when discipleship becomes painful.
Historical note
The September observance developed from the Servite devotion and was extended to the Western Church in 1814. The older Passion-week commemoration had already been extended in 1727.
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