A Contemporary Contemplation on the Seven Sorrows of Mary

“Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord;

Let it be done unto me according to your words.”

~Mary to the angel Gabriel

Often we are tempted as Christians into excusing our shortcomings and habitual negligence of our physical and spiritual responsibilities whenever we find ourselves being challenged to live like Christ Jesus- to be a Christian. In most cases, some end up with arguments such as “I am only human” and others will say, “My faith is not as strong as that of Jesus Christ, who is the Son of the living God.”

While these arguments may suffice as an acknowledgment of our humanity and limitation to please God as perfectly as Jesus Christ did, it is also a fact beyond reasonable doubt that, we must not compare ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ in order to emulate him! As a matter of fact God has given us his Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary as our perfect example!

The corner stone of my meditation on the Seven Sorrows of Mary the Mother of God is simply the imitation and manifestation of the humility of Jesus Christ and complete submission to the will of God that his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary exercises while on earth. She’s the epitome of love, hope and faith in God!

By her lifestyle, in which Mary, the Mother of God completely submitted to the will of the almighty God at all times, putting her faith, hope and trust in the divine providence, mercy and compassion of the Father and accepting all the sorrows that were associated with her “YES” reply to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, we the followers of Jesus Christ have the perfect role model that is completely human like us and therefore we can look up to her in our times of crisis with the blessed assurances that she will petition her son on our behalf any time we turn to her powerful and most compassionate advocate.

You must not be a woman to appreciate the ultimate sacrifices that Mary the Mother of God underwent and therefore became a symbol of perfect hope in the midst of despair and was exalted by God to be a co-redeemer with her son in the salvation of mankind.

This New Eve, said “YES” to God without reservation and behold, she now remained blessed among all generations.

Most often in life we are saturated with circumstances we termed as unfair or inimical to our very existence and become bitter and angry to the point of despair. And some may be rightly so, for instance how do you deal with injustices, discrimination and false witnesses, and other forms of unreasonable treatments on the basis of the color of your skin and other man made perimeters that are detrimental to the exuberance of faith, hope and charity? Under such situations, we are called upon to see in Mary, the mother of God the perfect response necessary to survive, that of relying completely, totally and absolutely in God as the only veritable source of vindication and restoration. In spite of how she was treated, in some cases ridiculed, rejected and insulted, the Mother of God hang on to the absolute conviction that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and salvation comes through him, who is the way, the truth and the life!

Please journey with me as I meditate on her journey and relate them to my observations, while continuing to pray to Jesus Christ, my Lord and personal savior to please come to our rescue because of the merit of her Mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Our Lady of Sorrows.  

The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)

(The Pain of Mary’s Motherhood)

Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother,

“This child is chosen by God for the destruction and

The salvation of many in Israel…

And sorrow, like a sharp sword, will break your own heart.”

This prophecy was fulfilled at the foot of the cross, which hung Jesus Christ, the Son of God! In our own lives, many of us encounter the challenges of raising our family and by extension humanity to be like the Holy Family of Jesus Mary and Joseph in this complex world. We must appreciate that it is not going to be easy, however Mary is an example and the classical role model for every person that is committed to helping to bring up the family in the way of the Lord. We must be ready as Mary did to accept the pros and cons associated with our desire to mentor and be mentored by the Holy Spirit. In order to adequately deal with the anticipated ups and downs of life, we ought to exclaimed and with complete trust in God in the same words that she spoke to the angel Gabriel, “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord, may it be done to me according to thy words.”

The flight into Egypt (Mathew 2: 13-15)

(The Pain of Immigration)

Joseph got up, took the child and his mother,

And left during the night for Egypt,

Where he stayed until Herod died.

Joseph the foster father of Jesus Christ and the husband of Mary was instructed by the angel to leave for Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill the child! This was the second of the seven sorrows of the Mother of God. Today we are witnesses to uncountable cases of immigration due to man inhumanity to man as a result of wars, religious intolerance and other forms of dangerous trends that expose mankind to fear, denigration and death. Many have been displaced from their home and are now roaming the entire globe in search of a place of peace. As children of God how are we going to response to this inimical trend? The Egyptians welcome the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph and because of this generosity, Kind Herod was unable to kill the infant child Jesus and consequently through that divine intervention, mankind have the chance of eternal life through the death and resurrection of the same Christ, who is Lord and Savior of the world.

There used to be a time in human history when being a Christian is considered to be a crime and there were massive martyrdom of the faithful, and then other at times, being a Jew as in the era of Hitler is synonymous to experiencing the holocaust, furthermore we are aware of the era in which Blacks or Negroes are treated as properties and killed without recourse or even justification, and what about Native Americans, and today it seems being a Muslim is a license to be rejected by others. The commonality that all these era share is that the affected people seek for shelter from inhumanity, brutality and poverty, from wars and other forms of dangers that threaten their very existence.

Today in the United States, many of us with disaffection watched the political rhetoric surrounding immigration and refugees especially from war torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and other predominantly Muslim faithful. As a Christian, I am compelled to reject such treatment given the obvious necessity for compassion and fear of God. Imagine if the infant Jesus Christ and his parent did not or could not escape to Egypt due to immigration logistics or rejection?

Immigration and migration for the sake of survival and in search or pursuit of happiness should be seen as a necessity and not a luxury and mankind must be compassionate enough to offer the necessary charitable environment to those desperately in search of an abode of haven anywhere such existed, after all we are all immigrants in this world.

Loss of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)

(The Pain of Losses in our homes)

After three days they found him in the temple,

Sitting in the midst of the teachers,

Listening to them and asking them questions 

How many of us have lost something that is so very precious to us, and in the process still dealing with the aftermath? The Blessed Virgin Mary was confronted with such reality of life during the Holy Family visit to Jerusalem. For three days they searched everywhere! Without doubt, they might have contemplated what evil may have befallen him. Are we patient enough to search with the eyes of faith for what we have lost?

In our contemporary societies, we are not oblivious of the many code pink and amber alerts and in the worst-case scenario later learned about the missing person being found dead! The endless wait to know whether such a person is safe can be very traumatic indeed and it is therefore understandable that this sorrow of the Mother of God is both physical and emotional.

How do we deal with the loss of jobs, positions and homes, what about the loss of a lovely and promising marriage or relationship turning sour, the loss of love, peace and hope… and so on and so forth? Many of us have been unemployed for over three and half years and notwithstanding are still alive to testify of God’s goodness in the land of the living and this has nothing to do with our individual capacity, but rather as a result of the grace of God.

We can learn from Mary the Mother of God, by submitting ourselves to the almighty God and echoing her words to the angel, “Let it be done unto me according to thy words.”

Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)

(Our Daily Pain of Carrying the Cross)

A large crowd of people

Followed Jesus,

Including many women

Who mourned and lamented him 

Firstly, imagine your son or a loved one being convicted and sentenced to death for a crime he or she did not commit? Have you ever visualized the pain, sorrow and inexpressible trauma and heartbreak a compassionate person feels when an innocent individual is unjustly treated and worst of all to the point of death? For instance, when you are prompt to being criminalized not because you committed a crime, but simply because of the way you are created as we have witnessed during the inimical era of slavery, the holocaust and lately the indiscriminate marshaling of jungle- justice to people of color, different religion and life style orientation?

When Jesus Christ was treated as a criminal due to the ignorance of the religious leaders in Israel and as a result of the divine intervention of God to save mankind from eternal condemnation, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary never gave up on her son; she believed that this Jesus is truly the Son of God. How many times have I stood with Jesus Christ even when it is extremely inconvenient and “ridiculous” by worldly standard? And how many times did I offer support, compassion and understanding to people that are ill-treated, discriminated against and have nobody to stand for them in spite of the fact that they have wronged no one other than the mere fact that they look, act and speak differently?

Crucifixion and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)

(The Pain of Death and Separation)

Mary, the Mother of God can help us to cope with death more than any other person in history. She walked with her son, the Son of the living God through the streets of Jerusalem for a crime that was neither justifiable nor realistic! And today we face the annihilation of some sections of the human race as a result of systemic stereotypes, discrimination and other forms of inhumanity that ultimately lead to unnecessary punishment including but not limited to capital punishment.

Imagine the many parents, brethren and community that stand helpless in the faces of wanton destruction of lives all in the name of ideological inclinations?

We turn to Mary for help, because, she handed over to the almighty God every facet of her life and believed without doubt that the will of God is the best. Whenever I stand absentmindedly and idly without doing anything in the face of people being mistreated, persecuted and discriminated for no justifiable reasons, but rather as a result of their personality, race or status in the society or due to false accusation, I am further participating in the crucifixion and death of my Lord Jesus Christ all over again and again!

Our Lady of Sorrow did not stand idly but walk with Jesus Christ and the other women in Jerusalem, courageously and adamantly refusing to become dejected and turn away. Instead they walk with our Lord to the place of the skull and witness his brutal killing by the Roman Soldiers under the influence of the leaders of the Jews of that era.

If I want to follow Jesus Christ in his path to eternal life, I too must be ready to carry my cross and follow him as his mother Mary did throughout his three years sojourn on earth.

Physical death for a child of God is not the end of life, but the beginning of a transition to glory and therefore, we must not look at death as the unbelievers do, as a hopeless abyss. On the contrary, my faith dictates that I should remain hopeful, faithful and truthful to my belief that Jesus Christ is the resurrection and life. In this regard, I am consoled in the midst of the death of loved ones, because I believe one day I too shall see them again in the Kingdom of Heaven and of life everlasting.

The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross

(Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)

(The Pain and Gain of Final Rest)

It is not too difficult for us to picture the brutal death of loved ones in the hands of criminals and even those who were meant to protect and provide law and order in our societies.

I still vividly recall that faithful day that Mr. Freddie Gray was thoroughly beaten up for no crime other than that of running away from the unfriendly police in the Sandtown Winchester Community in Baltimore City! When he later died in the hospital, his parents and the entire community were devastated because of the negligence and overbearing by the Police. And what about the multiple bomb blasts that have claimed the lives of millions of innocent people and then the victims of war; soldiers departing, only to have their body returned home and committed to mother earth! The grief, the confusion and the resignation are all sorrows that the Mother of God bore with serenity because she believes in the plans of the almighty God who is forever faithful.

Jesus Christ promised us the kind of peace the world can never offer; true resting peace in which in the midst of despair, we can see hope, in doubt, we see faith and in the midst of hate, we can see love. This ‘peace’ of Christ enables us to hold on in joyful hope and complete submission to the will of his Father, as the Blessed Virgin Mary and Mother of God completely surrendered to!

The true source of the peace that Mary the Mother of God had came from her son Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit she was able to cope in the midst of the worst-case scenario any mother would ever be allowed to witness.

I turn to Mother Mary, knowing fully that she is aware of the true meaning of sorrows such as the restlessness that comes with fear and other forms of anxieties as a result of circumstances beyond your control. She handed everything back to God through Jesus Christ, and that is exactly what my Lord wants from me too.

The burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)

(Eschatology Pain)

The burial rite is the final goodbye and the journey of never turning back again!

It must have been very tough for the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God to see her son die such a shameful death! And even more shocking is that fact that, this Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God! Naturally one could have expected that if you are the son of God, you can do anything you want including but not limited to refusing to go through the “Ways of the Cross”, instead, Jesus Christ in all humility willingly accepted his destiny of dying for humanity so that we can have life everlasting. In line with the words that Mary replied the angel, Jesus Christ using a similar term stated, “Father, not mine will, but your will be done.”

Mary therefore emulated the humility of the Son of God who accepted to die for mankind by completely submitting to the will of God! She sacrificed her comfort and entire life to take care of her son, Jesus Christ and follow the same through the way of the cross culminating in the death and burial of the Messiah.

Is there anything in our life that we will be more than willing to also bury? In order to emulate Mary, we ought to be ready to bury our pride, hatred for others, discrimination in the form of racism, propagation of stereotypes against those who did not look like us, bury our unjust condemnation of the innocents, bearing false witnesses, killing, cheating and committing all sorts of evil against our God. We must like Mary bury ourselves and let God raise us up as he did for his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Because Mary was full of grace, God strengthen her resolve to overcome the limitations of the flesh. She’s here with us, ready to plea our course before her son and the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the King of endless glory. How many of us are open to her motherly care and perpetual help and intercession before the grace of God?

Physical death is one thing, but for man to live without a purposeful life is synonymous to a dead man walking! True life abound where God is found, and where God reside, there is love, hope and faith and where all these are found, humanity takes the form of the glorious transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As I reflect on my life and in a special way upon the lives of my loved ones, I cannot help but glorify God’s name for all his faithfulness, steadfastness and infinite love. I have been mistreated, misjudged and have been persecuted knowing and otherwise, some have taken money from me and failed to deliver the services I paid for, others have led to series of my contemporary struggles with unemployment and the perpetual fear of how to feed my family and again, God has used others too as benefactors to provide my family and me with the succor we need to keep body and soul together.

Through them all, I am happy that the almighty God has not allowed some of these inimical circumstances to steal away the peace that I have with him, and the grace he has abundantly showered on anyone who worship him as Lord and God!

All those who have deeply hurt me and more or less contributed to my current state of manmade “incapacitation”, I have since forgiven them and ask the good Lord God to bless and prosper them, while at the same time I seek forgiveness from those I might have hurt too.

I am at peace because Our Lady of Sorrows is the light to my heart and has shown me how bright it can be if I handover everything to her son, my Lord Jesus Christ.

Let us pray and seek God’s will in every facet of our lives as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God did and behold, so that true peace, hope and faith, and love shall never depart from our abode until Jesus Christ come again to carry us all to his heaven Kingdom of glory and eternal life. Amen

Let us pray:

 PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF SORROWS

(By St. Bonaventure)

O most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ:
by the overwhelming grief you experienced
when you witnessed the martyrdom,
the crucifixion, and the death of your divine Son,
look upon me with eyes of compassion,
and awaken in my heart a tender
commiseration for those sufferings,
as well as a sincere detestation
of my sins, in order that,
being disengaged from all undue affection
for the passing joys of this earth,
I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem,
and that henceforward all my thoughts
and all my actions may be directed
towards this one most desirable object.

Honor, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus,
and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen.

Podeh2016