Moodubelle, 15 September 2010: Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The object of the feast is to meditate upon the spiritual martyrdom of the most blessed Mother of God and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son. The Salvi (seven sorrows of Mary) has already begun at St. Lawrence Church Moodubelle on Monday 13 September. Every day the Salvi begins at 04.00 pm with the Rosary of the Mother of Sorrows, followed by the mass.
During the sermon Parish Preist Rev. Fr. Joswey Fernandes breifs on a Sorrow from the Seven Sorrows of Mary for seven days. He calls on the faithful “to be like our Mother Mary that amidst the agonies, we will still believe in God. Our Mother Mary did not lose her trust. The sorrows she went through were not there to destroy her but to bring out the best in her. She remained beside Jesus, suffering and praying, until the end to fulfill the wishes of God.”
The Seven Sorrows are a popular devotion in the Roman Catholic Church especially in Mangalore Diocese. There is a devotional prayer which consists of meditation on her Seven Sorrows. The Seven Sorrows are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who revealed to St. Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373) that seven graces are granted to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary’s and meditating on her tears and dolors. The devotion was passed on by St. Bridget. The following are the seven sorrows of Mary.
1. The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus. (Gospel of Luke 2:34)
2. The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Gospel of Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)
4. The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
5. The Crucifixion, where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (Gospel of John 19:25)
6. The Descent from the Cross, where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms.
(Matthew 27:57)
7. The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)
“Jesus Christ Himself revealed to Blessed Veronica of Binasco, that, He is more pleased in seeing His Mother compassionated than Himself.” He said to her: ‘My daughter, tears shed for My Passion are dear to Me; but as I loved My Mother Mary with an immense love, the meditation on the torments which She endured at My death is even more agreeable to Me.’ “Wherefore the graces promised by Jesus to those who are devoted to the dolors of Mary are very great.”
Mary is our Mother because she has given Jesus wholly to us, human and divine. There is no one else on earth or in heaven that God Himself loves as He loves His ever Virgin Immaculate Mother and wishes her to be known and loved by all.