Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother

This meditation is offered today in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Richard of St. Victor says: “In martyrs, the intensity of their love mitigated their sufferings, but with Mary it was different; the more she loved, the more she suffered, and the greater was her martyrdom.” To her was wanting that great support which the martyrs enjoyed in their sufferings.

During their torments, they directed their inward gaze toward Our Lord, by whose grace and love they were strengthened and consoled. The flames of the love of Jesus cooled the fires of torture, softened the strokes of the scourges, and blunted the sharpness of the sword. But in her anguish, where could Mary turn her gaze as she stood beneath the Cross? Upon Jesus? Ah, it was precisely the sight of her divine Son that caused her the most intense suffering. Her one consolation at the sufferings of her Son was the knowledge that through His death we would be redeemed.

She offered her Son willingly for our salvation; yes, the sacrifice she made in union with Him was so great that St. Alphonsus says, “Two hung upon one Cross.” St. Thomas wrote that omnipotence itself could not invent a “greater greatness.” It was necessary that Mary’s sorrows should correspond to her holiness, for the sufferings and tribulations of the saints always keep pace with their sanctity.

The picture of Mary filled with sorrow on Calvary teaches us that on earth pain is the twin sister of love.

– “Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother”