Showing posts with label Our Lady of Sorrows. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Our Lady of Sorrows. Show all posts

Saturday, September 15, 2018

When Do You Stop Needing Your Mother?

When a child is born a mother is born. Recently, I read a quote that suggested that the goal of motherhood is to raise your child to not need you anymore. As I pondered this thought, I began to think of Our Blessed Mother. She is the most perfect of Mothers. She is the model for us as mothers. I reflected on her son Jesus. Clearly the most perfect son. What was their relationship? As Jesus went through His Passion, his Mother was there. He did not choose to go through that painful experience without his Mother by His side. Jesus was completely obedient to the Father. If it did not please God the Father that Mary was there He could have asked Jesus to send her away. He did not. Therefore as we think of this scene of Mary at the foot of the Cross, we see that even the son of God was not expected to go through His Passion alone. It was good for Him to take consolation in the love of his Mother and have her by His side. 
The road of a Mother is not easy. Today we honor Our Lady of Sorrows. Jesus was perfect and yet his Mother suffered a great deal in being His Mother. Yet who would ever want to imagine Jesus on the Cross without His Mother by His side. 

 The picture above was drawn by one of the members of the Children's Rosary when he was 9 years old.
Other Posts You May Enjoy:
Instructional Video on how to run your first Children's Rosary meeting
Doing Everything with Care
Don't forget to unify prayers with the children during their meetings. A schedule of meetings is present on our website. By clicking "Join in Prayer" you can add your gold flashing light to our View from Heaven map.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH OUR NEW VIDEO:

For more information about the Children's Rosary visit our website: www.childrensrosary.org
Visite nuestro sitio web en español para obtener más información: www.rosariodeninos.org
Pour plus d'informations sur le Rosaire des Enfants, visitez notre site Web:www.rosairedesenfants.org
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Thursday, September 4, 2014

New Children's Rosary at Our Lady of Sorrows Church

There is a new Children's Rosary forming at Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Sharon Massachusetts USA.  As we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows in September it is particularly special to have a new Children's Rosary at a Church in honor of Our Lady's Sorrows.  
Angie and Peter during a visit to
 St. Thomas the Apostle Church
The family beginning this new group was actually part of our original Children's Rosary at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in West Hartford, Connecticut.  After being a part of the group for over a year they moved to Massachusetts.  The children of the group were sad to see Angie and Peter move but we have enjoyed their frequent visits for special events such as when the traveling Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa visited St. Thomas.  Angie and Peter were able to help lead a Rosary kneeling before Our Lady.  Now it is such a joyful moment to see these little ones beginning a group of their own.  Recently during a visit to their grandparents in Michigan the extended family was excited to see how Angie and Peter's prayers have come along and were thrilled to know they will be beginning a Children's Rosary which will help other children draw closer to Our Blessed Mother and her Son.

 This new Children's Rosary group will meet for the first time on Saturday September 6th 2014 at 9:30 AM ET.  This group has chosen to meet on the first Saturday of the month.

 Other posts you may enjoy:
The Children's Rosary Welcomes Our Lady
How To Start a Children's Rosary
Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows 
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Saturday, September 15, 2012

Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows 
by St. Alphonsus Maria de Liguori

I compassionate thee, O most sorrowful Mother! 
Thy heart was pierced with a sword of grief 
when Simeon foretold to thee in the Temple 
the ignominious death and the desolation of thy Divine and most dear Son, 
which thou wert destined one day to witness. 
By the great anguish of thy suffering heart, 
O gracious Queen of the universe, 
impress upon my mind, 
in life and in death, 
the sacred Passion of Jesus and thine own sorrows.
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Patience When Answering the Call

Today while walking home from confession my eight year old son asked me if there was a particular school one has to go to become a priest.  I told him yes it is called a seminary.  He asked if he could enter that school now.  I told him unfortunately you have to graduate from high school first.  He asked when that would be and I told him he would be 18 years old.  To Kostin who is only 8 years old this seemed like a lifetime.  Well actually it is a lifetime to him as it is more time then he has actually be alive.  He said in a pleading voice that he wants to enter that school now as he so much wants to be a priest.  This is not the first time Kostin has expressed an interest in becoming a priest.  He has been talking about it since he was 6 but this summer he has become decided on it.

He has mentioned to me in the past that he is worried he will forget how much he wants to be a priest when he is old enough to become a priest.  Today as we walked home I suggested he write a letter to himself which we will seal and have him open when he is 18.  When we got home Kostin began writing and drawing.  He told me part of what he wanted to write was a picture.  Part of the picture would have a sun with an arrow pointing to it.  When I came back in the room the letter and picture were done and he had made an envelope already with a piece of paper.  He put the letter in and sealed it with tape.  He was very private about what was inside but he was purposeful and decided about it whatever it contains.  Kostin's experiences seem to be paralleling those of a dear friend who is also a member of the children's rosary.  She, however is 26 year old.  Her pursuits to find an order of nuns to join have not been fruitful.  She has found it difficult to find where she fits but inside her heart there is a deep longing to consecrate herself to Jesus.  She shares with me the pain that waiting brings.  To find fulfillment each day is a struggle when your heart seems to be calling you to a vocation.  Caitlin and Kostin share another thing, they both have a child's spirit.  Both are innocent to the world in many ways and look to the Lord for guidance in all that they do.  The struggles that they experience remind me of poor St. Rita who for years tried to enter a covenant after her husband died.  It was not until she was miraculously transported within the walks of a convent that she was finally accepted.  St. Faustina, too, experienced rejection from the first covenants that she tried to enter.

I pondered today on the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows why Our Lord places in certain hearts a burning desire to join Him in a consecrated life yet also commands them to wait, in some cases years.  I then think of His dear Blessed Mother who He loved beyond imagining and yet she herself had her heart pieced seven times.  Could it be that those chosen souls who are given the gift of suffering and longing are meant to reside in a special place in the Heart of Jesus.

Honoring Our Lady of Sorrows
Graces given to those who honor the sorrows of Mary
Litany to Our Lady of Sorrows
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Saturday, September 1, 2012

Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows


Litany of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows 
by Pope Pius VII 

Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, hear us. Christ, graciously hear us.
God, the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Ghost, pray for us
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us
Holy Virgin of virgins, pray for us
Mother of the Crucified, pray for us
Sorrowful Mother, pray for us
Mournful Mother, pray for us
Sighing Mother, pray for us
Afflicted Mother, pray for us
Foresaken Mother, pray for us
Desolate Mother, pray for us
Mother most sad, pray for us
Mother set around with anguish, pray for us
Mother overwhelmed by grief, pray for us
Mother transfixed by a sword, pray for us
Mother crucified in thy heart, pray for us
Mother bereaved of thy Son, pray for us
Sighing Dove, pray for us
Mother of Dolors, pray for us
Fount of tears, pray for us
Sea of bitterness, pray for us
Field of tribulation, pray for us
Mass of suffering, pray for us
Mirror of patience, pray for us
Rock of constancy, pray for us
Remedy in perplexity, pray for us
Joy of the afflicted, pray for us
Ark of the desolate, pray for us
Refuge of the abandoned, pray for us
Shield of the oppressed, pray for us
Conqueror of the incredulous, pray for us
Solace of the wretched, pray for us
Medicine of the sick, pray for us
Help of the faint, pray for us
Strength of the weak, pray for us
Protectress of those who fight, pray for us
Haven of the shipwrecked, pray for us
Calmer of tempests, pray for us
Companion of the sorrowful, pray for us
Retreat of those who groan, pray for us
Terror of the treacherous, pray for us
Standard-bearer of the Martyrs, pray for us
Treasure of the Faithful, pray for us
Light of Confessors, pray for us
Pearl of Virgins, pray for us
Comfort of Widows, pray for us
Joy of all Saints, pray for us
Queen of thy Servants, pray for us
Holy Mary, who alone art unexampled, pray for us

Pray for us, most Sorrowful Virgin, that we may be made worth of the promises of Christ 

Let us pray, --- O God, in whose Passion, according to the prophecy of Simeon, a sword of grief pierced through the most sweet soul of Thy glorious Blessed Virgin Mother Mary: grant that we, who celebrate the memory of her Seven Sorrows, may obtain the happy effect of Thy Passion, Who lives and reigns world without end, Amen. 
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Graces Given To Those Who Honor Mary’s Sorrows


THE SEVEN GRACES GIVEN TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT MEDITATE ON THE SEVEN SORROWS OF THE VIRGIN MARY
(As revealed to Saint Bridget by the Blessed Mother)
Jesus taken down from the Cross
  1. I will grant peace to their families.
  2. They will be englightened about the divine mysteries.
  3. I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
  4. I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
  5. I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
  6. I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.
  7. I have obtained(This Grace) from my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my   tears and dolors, will be taken directly from the earthly life to eternal happiness since all their sins will be forgiven and my Son and I will be their eternal consolation and joy.
Burial of Jesus
St. Alphonsus Liguori testifies to complementary revelations given by Our Lord to St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207-1231) where Jesus further promises four special graces to those dedicated to the sufferings of the co-redeeming Mother: 
1. That those who before death invoke the Blessed Mother in the name of her sorrows, should obtain true repentance of all their sins.
2. That He would protect in their tribulations all who remember this devotion, and that He would protect them especially at the hour of death.
3. That He would impress upon their minds the remembrance of His Passion, and that they should have their reward for it in Heaven.
4. That He would commit such devout clients to the hands of Mary, so that she might obtain for these souls all the graces she wanted to lavish upon them.
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Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces 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 Flight into Egypt

SEVEN SORROWS OF THE VIRGIN MARY

2. THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT
3. THE LOSS OF THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE
4. THE MEETING OF JESUS AND MARY ON THE  WAY TO THE CROSS
5. THE CRUCIFIXION
6. THE TAKING DOWN OF THE BODY OF JESUS FROM THE CROSS
7. THE BURIAL OF JESUS

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Honoring Our Lady's Sorrows


This morning the children and I went to Church for daily Mass.  We were there early and had time to sit outside by a lovely grotto made in honor of Our Lady,  The children and I were able to say a rosary and then we went into Church for our 15 minute meditation on a mystery of the rosary, in keeping with the First Saturday Devotion to Our Lady.  As the kids were horsing around and I was trying to get them quiet the first mystery that came to mind was The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple.  I thought of this mystery, as the fruit is obedience and I so wished that my children were obedient in Church.  I began to imagine Our Lady and Joseph bringing Jesus to the Temple and offering Him to the Father.  Likewise, I too in my heart offered the Lord my children and asked for help with them.  The next thought to enter my mind was the prophecy of Simeon to Mary.

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, 'Look, he is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is opposed--and a sword will pierce your soul too--so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.'(Luke 2:35)

I then remembered that today was September 1st and the month is dedicated to Our Lady of  Sorrows.  How wonderful that the Lord had brought my prayers back to this.  It is true that through obedience to the Will of God we will Glorify the Lord but in doing so we will also suffer.  Our Lady who completely unified her Will with the Lord had her heart pierced.  Her sufferings were so great that a special devotion exists honoring her 7 sorrows.  The first of her 7 sorrows is the prophecy of Simeon.

I have been prayerfully considering adding this devotion to my daily prayers and as the Lord brought me back to it today I have decided to start today.  I hope others may feel inspired to begin honoring Our Lady’s sorrows daily, too.

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