Thursday 15th September 2022
Our Lady of Sorrows
The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion .The Mass today focuses on Mary’s compassion and what she suffered during the first Passiontide.
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Lk 2: 34-35
Simeon said to Mary: Behold, this child is destined for the ruin and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign of contradiction; and your own soul, a sword will pierce.
Collect
O God, who willed that, when your Son was lifted high on the Cross, his Mother should stand close by and share his suffering, grant that your Church, participating with the Virgin Mary in the Passion of Christ, may merit a share in his Resurrection. Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading : 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Brothers, I want to remind you of the Gospel I preached to you, the Gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the Gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything. Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the Scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it. I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.
Psalm 117:1-2,15-17,28
R/ Give thanks to the Lord for he is good.
- Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his love has no end. Let the sons of Israel say: ‘His love has no end. ’
- The Lord’s right hand has triumphed; his right hand raised me up. I shall not die, I shall live and recount his deeds.
- You are my God, I thank you. My God, I praise you. I will thank you for you have given answer and you are my Saviour.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia! Happy is the Virgin Mary, who, without dying, won the palm of martyrdom beneath the cross of the Lord. Alleluia!
Gospel : John 19:25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. Seeing his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her, Jesus said to his mother, ‘Woman, this is your son.’ Then to the disciple he said, ‘This is your mother.’ And from that moment the disciple made a place for her in his home.
Prayer over the Offerings
Receive, O merciful God, to the praise of your name, the prayers and sacrificial offerings which we bring to you as we venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary, whom you graciously gave to us as a most devoted Mother when she stood by the Cross of Jesus. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Communion Antiphon : Cf. 1 Pet 4: 13
Rejoice when you share in the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice exultantly when his glory is revealed.
Prayer after Communion
Having received the Sacrament of eternal redemption, we humbly ask, O Lord, that, honouring how the Blessed Virgin Mary suffered with her Son, we may complete in ourselves for the Church’s sake what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Meditation
This is one of the many titles of the Blessed Virgin Mary, “Our Lady of Sorrows”. It recalls the intense and excruciating pain and grief she endured during the passion and death of Jesus. It was eventually extended to comprise “the seven dolours” or “seven sorrows” of Mary, as foretold by the old prophet Simeon, during Jesus’ presentation in the temple at Jerusalem:
- Simeon’s prophecy about the sword of sorrow (Lk 2:34-35);
- The Flight of Joseph, Mary and Jesus into Egypt (Mt 2:13);
- The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:43-45);
- Mary Meets Jesus on the Way to Calvary (Lk 23:26);
- Jesus Dies on the Cross (John 19:25);
- Mary Receives the Body of Jesus in Her Arms (Mt 27:57);
- The Body of Jesus is Placed in the Tomb (John 19:40). We ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Sorrows, who knows how to blend suffering and love for others to make it a bearable struggle as we seek salvation.