Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Mary remained standing beside the Cross of Jesus, we hear from the Gospel according to John (19:25). So many others fled, but Mary stayed. Some feared that being close to Jesus at that moment would prove dangerous to them and so they were nowhere to be seen. Mary did not think such danger was more important than being with Jesus in His last moments. Some certainly loved Jesus, but could not bear to watch this terrible suffering that Jesus was going through at the end. They stayed far away. Who would suffer more at seeing the suffering of Jesus than His mother? Mary faced that suffering of her own heart so that she could be close to her son. Such faced the suffering that comes with true compassion so that Jesus would not be alone.
This is the mother that Our Lord entrusts to each of us, His beloved disciples, when from the Cross He says, “Behold, your mother” (John 19:27). No matter what danger or suffering we may face, our Blessed Mother stands beside us. Her heart is ready. Her love for her children is proven. On this feast, let us thank Mary for the love with which she accompanied Our Lord through the Passion, and for the love with which she accompanies us. Let us ask for the grace to love our neighbor as faithful sons and daughters of so courageous a mother as Our Lady of Sorrows.