World at Prayer blog
Reflections of Family and Faith
"The family that prays together stays together." - Venerable Patrick Peyton
Catholic Motherhood | Our Lady of Sorrows | Seven Sorrows of Mary | catholic family life
During Lent 2023, I started an adventure with a special writing project about Our Lady of Sorrows. As part of my Lenten practices, I prayed one of Mary’s Sorrows for each day of the week, which was so convenient since there were seven of them! That practice continued post-Lent, as did my writing project, and I still pray one of the Sorrows (most!) mornings. Each of Mary's Sorrows has its own inspiration, as we see how the virtues of our Blessed Mother shine through in the most traumatic moments of her life. Knowing how Mary continually leaned into God and trusted Him despite tragic circumstances helps me to try to do the same when life becomes dark and feels hopeless. It's also very comforting to know that I have a Mother who desires to console me and can understand what I'm experiencing when I face deep loss and grief.
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Our Lady of Sorrows | Seven Sorrows of Mary | family prayer
The month of September has been dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows since the celebration of her feast day was developed by the Servites (Order of the Servants of Mary) in the 17th century. However, devotion to the Blessed Mother under this title began long before then.
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Our Lady of Sorrows | Seven Sorrows of Mary | family life
Over the course of the years in my job at my parish, I have encountered hundreds of moms. These are women from a wide variety of backgrounds, cultures, socio-economic levels, education, and even languages, who meet to learn and worship together. Over time, I’ve heard many of their stories and learned of their sufferings. We have especially prayed for each other's children during times of trial.
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Our Lady of Sorrows | Seven Sorrows of Mary | family prayer
Devotion to Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Sorrows, took root in the Church around the 14th century. It was revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden that devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary's Seven Sorrows would grant seven extraordinary graces. In contemplating the suffering of Mary, one is drawn ever closer to her Son, Jesus, and his suffering which redeemed the world.
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