The Seven Sorrows of Mary is a Catholic devotion given to St. Bridget of Sweden by Mary for us to grow closer to our Lord. By meditating on these sufferings of Mary, we are mediating on the sufferings of Jesus. Mary’s heart is so intertwined with Jesus’ Heart that they are, in some sense, one heart. While Mary had many sufferings, we meditate on seven of these sufferings because they are the deepest sorrows of Our Lady.
The following are the Seven Sorrows of Mary associated with the seven principal virtues: the three theological virtues (faith, hope, and love) and the four cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude). Although each sorrow of Mary demonstrates multiple virtues, I am suggesting that one virtue stands out particularly and can be imitated in connection with that sorrow.
- Prophecy of Simeon (FORTITUDE)
- The flight into Egypt (PRUDENCE)
- The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple (HOPE)
- The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross (TEMPERANCE)
- The Crucifixion (LOVE)
- The taking down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross (JUSTICE)
- The burial of Jesus (FAITH)
The Prophecy of Simeon: FORTITUDE
“Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, awaiting the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Messiah of the Lord. He came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to perform the custom of the law in regard to him, he took Him into his arms and blessed God, saying: ‘Now Master, you may let your servant go in peace according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.’ The child’s father and mother were amazed at what was said about Him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed’ (Saint Luke 2:25-24).
Our Lady told St. Bridget, “On that day (of the Purification) my pain was increased. For though by divine inspiration I knew that my Son was to suffer, yet this grief pierced my heart more keenly at Simeon’s words. And until I was assumed in body and soul to Heaven, this grief never left my heart, although it was tempered by the consolation of the Spirit of God. Let not, then this grief leave thy heart, for without tribulation few would reach Heaven” (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, Compiled by Raphael Brown, Tan Books and Publishers, 1991), 133).
Mary had to practice fortitude or courage and be willing to suffer along with her Son. At the time, she didn’t know what was to come or how everything would unfold, but she had to have fortitude in knowing that everything works for our good. Mary knew that she needed to offer up her Son willingly for our salvation, that God was asking this of her. Mary was asked to give up the most precious thing God had given her, and she said yes again and again through her fortitude (courage).
MEDITATION: Do we accept God’s plan for us even though it might be difficult? Do we embrace our crosses? And do we seek fortitude to carry them?
The Flight Into Egypt: PRUDENCE
“When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy Him.’ Joseph rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. (Saint Matthew 2:13-14)
The flight to Egypt came after the prophecy from Simeon. One could think that maybe the prophecy would be shortly fulfilled with the persecution of the infant Jesus. But when the angel told Joseph they must flee, the Holy Family was practicing prudence because they had to discern God’s will and understand that now was not the time to fulfill the prophecy. The Lord wanted the Holy Family to be safe and to flee because there was a greater good to be had: the future attainment of our salvation through the self-gift of Christ on the cross.
“Our Lady spoke to Mother Mary Agreda, “My daughter, I came into Egypt, where I knew no relations or friends, in a land of foreign religion, where I could offer no home or protection or assistance to my Son, whom I loved so much. It can easily be understood, then, what tribulations and hardships we suffered. Thou canst not understand with what patience and resignation we accepted them. It is true, I grieved much to see my husband in such necessity and want, but at the same time I blessed the Lord to be able to suffer them (The Life of May as Seen by the Mystics, 148).
MEDITATION: Am I prudent in the things I say and in the things I do? Do I listen to God’s plans for me even though it may not make sense? Is my ultimate confidence in my reason or God’s will?
The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple: HOPE
“Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover, and when He was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that He was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for Him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him, they were astonished, and His mother said to Him, ‘Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for You with great anxiety’” (Saint Luke 2:41-48).
What great anxiety they must have had indeed! The temporary loss of a child would bring any parent sorrow. But Mary’s sorrow is exponentially worse because her child is not a human person, but a divine Person. To feel like you have lost the Lord is a great sorrow. The Lord permitted this sorrow in the hope of bearing fruit for Mary and Joseph. Mary spoke to Mother Agreda saying, “The Lord absented Himself from me in order that by seeking Him in sorrow and tears I might find Him again in joy and with abundant fruits for my soul. In my great love the uncertainty as to the cause of His withdrawal gave me no rest until I found Him.
In this I wish that thou imitate me, whether thou lose Him through thy own fault or by the disposition of His Will. For to lose sight of God for the purpose of being tried in virtue and love is not the same as to lose sight of Him in punishment for sins committed. So strong are the bonds of His Love that no one can burst them, except thy own free will” (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, 156-7).
MEDITATION: Do I hope that God will unite me with Him for all eternity? Do I hope that God will transform me into Himself? Do I hope to receive God even in desolation? Do I place my hope in God to keep myself and my family safe? Do I place hope in the Lord to find the things that are lost in my life? Do I continue to hope even when things have not come to fruition yet?
The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross: TEMPERANCE
When Jesus meets His mother, it is not recorded in Scripture. In the book The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, the scene is described in this way: “Then at a sharp turn in the street she came up the procession. At last she saw Jesus again. But now He was staggering along, bound and chained, covered with bruises and saliva, constantly being jerked forward by the ropes which His merciless guards held. Through it all He remained a meek and silent victim, humbly submitting to a storm of inhuman mockery, curses, and insults. For a second Mary was so shocked that she gasped: ‘Is this my Son? Oh Jesus, my Jesus!?’ Then she quickly prostrated herself on the ground and worshiped her Lord with special fervor as a reparation to His desecrated divinity. And when He passed close by her, Mother and Son exchanged a brief look charged with mutual love and compassion” (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, 208-209).
MEDITATION: We can well imagine that Mary’s heart was so full of grief at seeing her Son that she could scarcely stand to be there, and yet, she would not dream of missing her Son. She had to control her emotions so that she could be there for her Son, to comfort Him, to encourage Him, to adore Him, thus forgetting her own misery. Mary demonstrated a mastery over her emotions that reflects temperance: the right ordering of all things in relation to God. Do I subject my emotions to reason, my reason to faith, and my faith to God? Do I strive to focus more on the needs of others and less on myself? Am I willing to be inconvenienced for the sake of prioritizing God in my life? Do I do all things for the love of God? Do I turn outward to God or inward to myself?
The Crucifixion: LOVE
“When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple there whom He loved, He said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your Son.’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus said, ‘I thirst.’ There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to His mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, He said, ‘It is finished.’ And bowing His head, He handed over His spirit” (Saint John 19:26-30).
“Because I was very close to Him during His Passion and did not allow myself to be separated from Him, for I stood next to His Cross, and because the nearer something is to the heart the keener is its stab, so His suffering was more painful to me than to others…Therefore I boldly assert that His suffering became my suffering because His Heart was mine…Then in the excessive anguish of His humanity He cried to His Father: ‘Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit!’ When I, His Most Sorrowful Mother, heard these words, in my keen grief of heart all my limbs trembled-and indeed as often as I later thought of that cry, I could hear it again in my ears” (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, 214-216).
What love did Our Lady, Our Most Sorrowful Mother, practice when she seen her Son treated in such an awful way? She knew He had to die for the salvation of our souls. She offered her Son as the sacrifice to save us.
MEDITATION: Do I sacrifice for others? Do I give to the poor and the needy? Do I put the Lord first? Do I thank the Lord for dying for my sins? Is my greatest desire the salvation of souls? Am I all in for the Lord, or do I ration my love for Him?
The Taking Down of the Body of Jesus from the Cross: JUSTICE
“While the others left the scene, I did not want to go away. Later my Son was taken down from the Cross. Two men set up three ladders. … When they lowered the body near the ground, one supported it at the head and the other at the feet. But I, who was His Mother, held Him in the middle. Thus we carried him to a stone which I had prepared with clean linens. … It would be impossible for anyone to describe how sad I was then. I was like a woman who gives birth to a child: after the birth her whole body is quivering, and although her pain is such that she can hardly breathe, yet in her heart she feels the greatest possible joy, because she knows that her son which she has borne will never again have to go through that suffering which he has just experienced. Thus, though I felt a grief over the death of my Son that could not be compared to any other, I also rejoiced in my soul, because I knew that my Son would not die again, but would live forever. And thus some joy was mingled with my sorrow (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, 217-218).
Our Lord deserved the best possible care and He did not deserve to die. He was innocent and perfect in holiness. After His sacrificial death, those who removed His Body from the cross paid Him a great compliment by acknowledging His holiness and respecting His Body. His Mother in the Pieta held the lifeless Body of her Son and she wept, but she wept knowing that her Son would live forever.
MEDITATION: Do I give God the honor and worship He deserves? Do I prepare my heart to receive Jesus worthily in the Eucharist? Do I give others the respect and kindness they deserve? Am I willing to make amends for the sufferings of others? Do I respect my body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit?
The Burial of Jesus: FAITH
“Oh, how gladly would I have allowed them to entomb me alive with my Son, if it had been His Will! I can truly say that when my Son was entombed, there were two Hearts in one sepulcher. Is there not the saying: where your treasure is, there is also your heart? Therefore my thoughts and my heart were always in the Tomb of my Son. . . Consider therefore how great was my suffering at the Death of my Son, and it will not be hard for you to give up the world” (The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics, 218).
MEDITATION: When Jesus was placed in the tomb, Mary knew that He would rise to eternal life. His burial was a great act of faith. Do you have faith that the sorrows in your life will turn to joy? Do you have faith that God will redeem your losses? Do you have faith that God will keep His promises and triumph in your life? Do you have faith that your loved ones will live forever with Jesus and the Communion of Saints?
