Today we celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows or Maria Dolorosa. It is the most important feast day of The Congregation of Holy Cross. Our founder, Blessed Basil Moreau, placed the Congregation of Holy Cross under the patronage of Our Lady of Sorrows. We are a Congregation that is Marian at its foundation, and we are a Congregation that was called right from its beginning to be deeply attentive to the different sorrows, sufferings, or crosses that the people we serve experience each day.
We can relieve some of these sorrows or sufferings, and some we cannot alleviate. But in all circumstances, our founder asked us to be people who bring a message of hope. No matter what the crosses or sorrows one is experiencing, in the end, God will triumph. Through the cross, redemption is coming—do not give up!
Our Blessed Mother is the perfect model of this hope; a woman who suffered Seven Sorrows:
- The Prophecy of Simeon that a lance would pierce her heart.
- Mary, along with Joseph, fled to Egypt because Herod was out to kill Jesus.
- For three days, she lost her young Son in the temple.
- She met Jesus on the road to Calvary—beaten like a common criminal and being led to His death.
- Mary witnessed the slow and painful death of her Son on the Cross.
- She received the body of her Son from the Cross.
- Lastly, Mary watched as they placed her Son’s body in the tomb.
Even amidst these Seven Sorrows, Mary never despaired. Her faith endured. She remained steadfast and so shared in her Son’s victory over death. We believe that her intercession and patronage can help us achieve the same victory in the different and challenging circumstances of our own lives.
We live in a world where we have been witnesses to suffering, trials, or sorrows in our own lives, the lives of loved ones, or people we know. We are aware of people experiencing crosses in their physical health—with ailments that won’t go away or struggling with mental health. We know people who have experienced isolation and rejection. We have friends and family members struggling with strained relationships that have left them as shadows of their former selves. We are witnesses to people struggling with challenging economic situations—failing businesses, poor pay, or lack of employment which creates extreme anxiety about their future and the future of their loved ones. We know people struggling with losses in their lives and have yet to find peace, comfort, consolation, and closure.
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows teaches us that even amidst all these circumstances, God will still be God. He is still in charge. Just like Job, we may not be able to explain everything going on in our lives, but God knows us by name; He knows every detail about what is going on in our life. He is not an absentee God.
The motto of the Congregation of Holy Cross puts it so well when it proclaims, “Ave Crux, Spes Unica” – “Hail the Cross, Our Only Hope.” We are a people that believe in the redemptive power of the Cross. Our trials can be a gateway to a new life, sanctity, and a different perspective. We believe that out of the ashes, God has the power to rise up a phoenix – stronger, smarter, and more powerful than its earlier version.
I don’t know what sorrows you are experiencing in your life, but I am here to speak a message of hope and encouragement to you. Do not give up! Do not let your problem tell you how big it is — tell your problem how big your God is!
On this Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, may we ask the Lord to make our faith steadfast through any trials. May we ask Him to empower us, to console us, to give us relief, and to heal us.
- To view Rosary prayer and Mass streaming live, please visit our Facebook page at 11:30 am EDT, Monday – Friday. Please invite your loved ones to join us too! (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
