Mysteries of the 'Seven Dolours (Sorrows) of Mary'

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September, 2012 - Overview for the Month  

The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15. September falls during the liturgical season known as Ordinary Time, which is represented by the liturgical color green.

The Holy Father's Intentions for the Month of September 2012

General: That politicians may always act with honesty, integrity, and love for the truth.

Missionary: That Christian communities may have a growing willingness to send missionaries, priests, and lay people, along with concrete resources, to the poorest Churches. (See alsowww.apostleshipofprayer.net)

Month of the Seven Sorrows of Mary  0  0 Google +0 Delicious0  email  print The month of September (Overview - Calendar) is dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary dates from the twelfth century, when it made its appearance in monastic circles under the influence of St. Anselm and St. Bernard. The Cistercians and then the Servites undertook to propagate it. It became widespread in the fourteenth and especially the fifteenth centuries, particularly in the Rhineland and Flanders, where Confraternities of the Sorrowful Mother sprang up. It was in this context that the first liturgical formularies in her honor were composed. A provincial council of Mainz in 1423 made use of these in establishing a "Feast of the Sorrows of Mary" in reparation for Hussite profanations of her images. In 1494 the feast appeared in Bruges, where the Precious Blood of Christ was venerated; later on it made its way into France. It did not, however, become widespread in France before Benedict XIII included it in the Roman Calendar in 1727 and assigned it to the Friday before Palm Sunday. Some Churches had previously celebrated this feast during the Easter season. Others, however, celebrated the Joys of the Blessed Virgin during the Easter season, as is still done today at Braga. In some places it was entitled "Recollection of the Feasts and Joys of the Blessed Virgin Mary." Excerpted from The Church at Prayer, Vol. IV A.G. Martimort. Fr. Faber on the Seven Sorrows God vouchsafed to select the very things about Him which are most incommunicable, and in a most mysteriously real way communicate them to her. See how He had already mixed her up with the eternal designs of creation, making her almost a partial cause and partial model of it. Our Lady's co-operation in the redemption of the world gives us a fresh view of her magnificence. Neither the Immaculate Conception nor the Assumption will give us a higher idea of Mary's exaltation than the title of co-redemptress. Her sorrows were not necessary for the redemption of the world, but in the counsels of God they were inseparable from it. They belong to the integrity of the divine plan. Are not Mary's mysteries Jesus' mysteries, and His mysteries hers? The truth appears to be that all the mysteries of Jesus and Mary were in God's design as one mystery. Jesus Himself was Mary's sorrow, seven times repeated, aggravated sevenfold. During the hours of the Passion, the offering of Jesus and the offering of Mary were tied in one. They kept pace together; they were made of the same materials; they were perfumed with kindred fragrance; they were lighted with the same fire; they were offered with kindred dispositions. The two things were one simultaneous oblation, interwoven each moment through the thickly crowded mysteries of that dread time, unto the eternal Father, out of two sinless hearts, that were the hearts of Son and Mother, for the sins of a guilty world which fell on them contrary to their merits, but according to their own free will. — Fr. Frederick Faber, The Foot of the Cross.

Thou, Mother, dying in so many ways, pierced by such dreadful sorrows, didst not die. Prayer of the Month Prayer of St. Bonaventure Lady, who by thy sweetness dost ravish the hearts of men, hast thou not ravished mine? O ravisher of hearts, when wilt thou restore me mine? Rule and govern it like thine own; preserve it in the Blood of the Lamb, and place it in thy Son's side. Then shall I obtain what I desire, and possess what I hope for; for thou art our hope. Documents The Seven Dolors of Our Lady by St. Alphonsus Ligouri Websites Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary Catholic Encyclopedia Servite Chaplet

  

Treasures of the Church- Devotions

OUR LADY OF SORROWS
AND
HER SEVEN DOLORSFeast: September 15


I want to stand with
you next to the cross
and I want to join you in your grieving.

Make me bear Christ's death
make me share his passion
make me recall his wounds.
 

From the Roman Missal:
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows falls on September 15. This feast commemorates the sorrowful Mother and the sufferings she experienced in union with her Son and dates back to the 12th century. The feast was extended to the universal Church in 1817 by Pope Pius VII and fixed officially in the calendar for September 15 in 1913 by Pope Pius X. This feast reminds us of the spiritual martyrdom of Our Blessed Mother and her compassion with the sufferings of her divine Son. Through her great sufferings as co-redeemer, she also helps to show us the true evil of sin and thereby leads us to repentance and salvation.

Liturgical Collect Prayer in honor of Our Lady of SorrowsFather, As your Son was raised on the cross,
His mother Mary stood by Him, sharing His suffering.
May she, who is also our spiritual Mother
and Patroness in heaven,
help us to find renewed strength
at the cross of Christ
and so to come to share in His rising to new life,
where He lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God forever and ever. Amen.
 

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Praying the Seven Sorrows (Dolors) of Our Blessed Mother 
Recompiled by SCTJM

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows falls on September 15; however, the prayers honoring the seven sorrow of Our Lady can be said anytime throughout the year. The devotion is similar to the Rosary, in that it consists of seven "mysteries" to be meditated on. These are the seven sorrows of Mary, the great piercings that she received throughout her life with Jesus her Son.

In our meditation on the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, we should pray to imitate the virtues and dispositions of Our Blessed Mother, especially during her moments of greatest suffering. We should seek to learn from her the value and power of redemptive suffering. Suffering becomes redemptive only through the Incarnation, Passion and Resurrection of Jesus. Because of this, each one of us can offer our sufferings as a gift to the Lord, uniting them with those of the His Son. When we do this, our sufferings, just like those of Jesus, redeem and bring grace to souls because they are united with His. We look to our Blessed Mother to show us how to do this most perfectly. She, more than any other creature, suffered in perfect union and communion with her Son. These sufferings, united with Christ's, helped redeem the world. We look to her for aid, comfort and an example.

Each Sorrow is meditated upon while praying 1 Our Father and 7 Hail Mary's.

The First Sorrow of Mary: The Prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation in the Temple (Lk 2:22-35)

1. When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord
2. Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
3. He took Jesus up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word;
4. for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples.
5. And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him;
6. and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against"
7. (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed."

The Second Sorrow of Mary: The Flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13-21)

1. When the Magi had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream
2. He said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him."
3. Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.
4. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage.
5. He sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under.
6. But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
7. "Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.

The Third Sorrow of Mary: The Loss of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-50)

1. Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom;
2. When the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem.
3. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey,
4. They sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
5. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
6. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously."
7. He said to them, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?"

The Fourth Sorrow of Mary: Mary Encounters Jesus on the Way of the Cross (John 19:1; Luke 23:26-32)

1. So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross.
2. And as they led him away, they seized one Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and laid on him the cross, to carry it behind Jesus.
3. And there followed him a great multitude of the people, and of women who bewailed and lamented him.
4. But Jesus turning to them said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.
5. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never gave suck!'
6. For if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?"
7. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull).

The Fifth Sorrow of Mary: Jesus Dies on the Cross (Mark 15:22; John 19:18, 25-27; Mark 15:34; Luke 23:46)

1. And they brought him to the place called Gol'gotha (which means the place of a skull).
2. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
3. Standing by the cross of Jesus were his Mother, and his Mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
4. When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman, behold, your son!"
5. Then he said to the disciple, "Behold, your Mother!" And from that hour the disciple took her to his own home.
6. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, "E'lo-i, E'lo-i, la'ma sabach-tha'ni?" which means, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?"
7. Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, "Father, into thy hands I commit my spirit!" And having said this he breathed his last.

The Sixth Sorrow of Mary: Jesus Is Taken Down From the Cross (John 19:31-34, 38; Lam 1:12)

1. In order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath, the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
2. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him;
3. but when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
4. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
5. After this Joseph of Arimathe'a, who was a disciple of Jesus, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus.
6. Pilate gave him leave. So he came and took away his body.
7. "Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look and see if there is any sorrow like my sorrow.

The Seventh Sorrow of Mary: Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (Matthew 27:59; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:46; Luke 27:55-56)

1. Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud,
2. Nicodemus also, who had at first come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds' weight.
3. They took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.
4. Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no one had ever been laid.
5. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there. And Joseph rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.
6. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and saw the tomb, and how his body was laid.
7. Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

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The Promises:

According to the visions of St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) our Blessed Mother promises to grant seven graces to those who honor her and draw near to her and her Son every day by meditating on her dolors (sorrows) and entering into her grief.

"I will grant peace to their families."
"They will be enlightened about the divine Mysteries."
"I will console them in their pains and will accompany them in their work."
"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 their souls."
"I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives."
"I will visibly help them at the moment of their death-- they will see the face of their mother."
"I have obtained this grace from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son will be their eternal consolation and joy." 

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