15 September 2026 – Our Lady of Sorrows (Memory)
Mass Readings: Heb 5:7-9 Ps 31 Jn 19:25-27
Key Verse to meditate: Then he said to the disciple, "Here is your mother." And from
that hour the disciple took her into his own home. (Jn 19:27).
My dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
After the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Church celebrates,
on the following day, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. These two feasts are
intimately connected, giving meaning and depth to one another. The Cross is the
sign of redemption, the symbol of victory. Standing beneath the Cross, the
Blessed Mother represents all humanity, gathered under her maternal guidance
for two profound reasons. First, she is the true disciple who carried her cross
and followed her Master and Lord, her own Son, Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself
declared: “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and
take up their cross and follow me” (Mk 8:34).
The First Reading - Heb 5:7-9
In this
profound passage, the author highlights the intense reality of Christ's human
nature and His submission to the Father.
- Human Anguish: During His earthly life,
Jesus offered prayers and supplications to God with "loud cries and
tears".
- Learning Obedience: Even though He was the
Divine Son, Jesus "learned obedience through what he suffered".
- Eternal Salvation: Through this process of
complete submission and suffering, Christ was made perfect and became the
ultimate source of eternal salvation for all who obey Him.
Spiritual Reflection
This reading reminds us that experiencing fear,
pain, and sorrow is a deeply human reality—one that Jesus Himself fully
embraced and intimately understands. Christ's perfection was demonstrated
through His absolute self-sacrifice and unwavering obedience to the Father's
will, even when the path involved immense agony. For us, this serves as a
powerful reminder that our own suffering is not a sign of God's absence.
Instead, when we unite our trials with Christ's, our suffering can become a
profound school of obedience, trust, and spiritual maturity.
The Gospel Reading - Jn 19:25-27
Today’s Gospel presents the moving scene of Mother Mary standing at the
foot of the Cross, gazing upon her suffering Son and Lord. It is a profound
mystery that in His final moments, Jesus entrusts His Mother to someone else.
Mary’s Silent Standing at the Foot of the Cross
Mary’s quiet, steadfast presence beneath the Cross reveals two profound dimensions of her sorrowful heart.
1. Suffering Love
Her presence was an expression of a love that suffers with those who
suffer. It must have been an indescribable agony for Mary to behold her beloved
Son hanging on the Cross, bruised and bloodied. True love suffers in union with
the beloved. This is the love that overcomes every disaster and pain. St. Paul
reminds us: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things” (1 Cor 13:7).
Mary endured these sufferings out of love for God, meditating deeply upon
this unfathomable mystery. As St. Luke notes, she “treasured all these words
and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19, 51). Her silent presence at the
Cross was not an absence of words but the fullness of contemplation—gazing upon
God’s face of compassion and mercy revealed in her Son. Her participation in
Christ’s suffering was the truest expression of her love for God and for all
humanity.
2. Perfect Submission to the Will of God
Her silent endurance at Calvary also manifests her perfect submission to
God’s will—a will that is always rooted in love. From the Annunciation to the
Cross, her fidelity remained unbroken: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord;
let it be with me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). That “yes”
spoken in Nazareth sustained her through the agony of Golgotha.
Her infinite, silent love united her to God’s infinite will, enabling her
to bear the unbearable sight of her Son crucified. As St. Paul asks: “Who
will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or
persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” (Rom 8:35).
Nothing could separate Mary from her Son—not even the horror of His Passion.
Unlike the apostles who fled, Mary remained firm, rooted in love.
St. Bernard of Clairvaux beautifully observes: “Jesus died in body
through a love greater than anyone had known. Mary died in spirit through a
love unlike any other since His.”
3. “Let It Be”
Mother
Mary’s life was deeply marked by sorrow, but in all these painful moments, her
unwavering response was, "Let it be." Her obedience perfectly
mirrored the obedience of Jesus to His Heavenly Father’s will. Tradition holds
that Mary endured Seven Sorrows:
- The prophecy of Simeon
- The flight into Egypt
- The loss of the Child Jesus
for three days
- Witnessing Jesus carry His
cross
- The crucifixion of Jesus
- Taking Jesus down from the
cross
- The burial of Jesus
When the
angel first revealed that she would be the mother of God’s only Son, she was
confused and bewildered. Yet, reassured by God's promise to be with her, she
gave her famous "yes"—a promise from which she never faltered. Her
faithfulness truly extended from the womb to the tomb. Standing beneath the
cross, she must have reflected deeply upon the words Simeon had spoken to her
years earlier in the temple:
Then
Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, "This child is destined
for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be
opposed, so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed—and a sword will
pierce your own soul too." (Lk 2:34-35)
Points for Personal Reflection
- Do I truly suffer with those who suffer?
- Do I submit myself to God’s will, even in
times of trial?
- Jesus offered His Mother from the Cross: “Behold
your mother.” Have I welcomed her into my home, my life, and my heart
as my heavenly Mother who accompanies me?
- True love empowers a mother to endure all
suffering for the sake of her child. Do I accept the sufferings that come
my way with faith and love?
·
How might
you invite Our Lady of Sorrows to walk with you through your own current trials
or moments of grief?
Prayer
O thou Mother, font of love! Touch my spirit from above; make my heart with
thine accord
