The Month of September is Dedicated to
Our Mother of Sorrows
A dutiful child, is never unmindful of the sorrows of their mother. Her sighs and labors
are ever deeply imprinted on his memory, and he is bent on fulfilling that
sacred command of Heaven which venerable Tobias gave to his faithful son:
"Thou must be mindful what and how great were the perils which thy mother
suffered for thee; " and which Ecclesiasticus, inspired by the Holy Ghost,
gives to all mankind, in these words: " Forget not the groanings of thy
mother." As Christians, we are all children of Mary. She became our Mother
amidst unutterable anguish and pain. She was solemnly declared our Mother when
standing at the foot of the Cross, whilst the blood flowed in streams from the
wounds of her dying Jesus. For our loving Redeemer, being about to leave this
world, and pitying our orphan state, addressed every Christian, in the person
of St. John, his beloved disciple " Behold thy Mother:" then, turning
his bleeding head towards the Blessed Virgin, He said, as the same Evangelist
testifies " Woman behold thy
Son." We, therefore, are the children of Mary: Jesus has declared us such.
"As Christ has begotten us," says St. Antoninus, " to a
spiritual life, in the word of truth, by suffering on the cross, so, likewise,
Mary has begotten us, and brought us forth in the midst of most acute pains, by
sharing in the sufferings of the crucifixion of her Son." Ah, then, never
let us forget her sighs and groans her bitter pains and sorrows. Deeply
should we fix them in our memory, and day after day call them to mind. "
Forget not the groanings of thy Mother, and be mindful what and how great were
the perils which she suffered for thee."
It was revealed
to St. Elizabeth, a Benedictine nun, that our Lord will bestow four graces on
those who are devout to the sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. First, that whoever
invokes her by her Dolours, shall obtain the grace of true repentance. Secondly,
that she will console such in all their tribulations, and especially at the
hour of death. Thirdly, that the Lord will imprint on their minds a remembrance
of his Passion, and inspire them with great devotion to it. Lastly, that He has
empowered Mary to obtain for them whatever blessings she pleases.
The following
striking example, revealed to St. Bridget, will greatly confirm the promises
made to St. Elizabeth. She narrates that there was a certain nobleman, who had
bound himself by compact to Satan for sixty years, and had during that time led
a very criminal life ; that before his death he obtained forgiveness, because
he felt compassion for the Blessed Virgin whenever he heard the Dolours
mentioned.
REFLECTIONS ON THE SEVEN DOLOURS
ON THE FIRST DOLOUR OF MARY
Holy Simeon foretells the Sorrows of Mary
FIRST POINT
The law of God,
given by Moses to the Jews, ordained that a woman, after childbirth, should
undergo the ceremonies of Purification. For a certain time she was forbidden to
appear in public, nor was she allowed to touch anything which was consecrated
to the worship of the Most High. Besides this law of purification, we read in
Leviticus of another law, which ordained that every first-born son should be
offered to God, and, after his presentation, ransomed for a specified sum of
money. Now, observe that Mary was not bound to fulfill either of these laws. As
regards the first, certainly it could not oblige her; since it supposed defilement
in the person to be purified. But in Mary there was no stain; she was ever a
most pure virgin, as even many enemies of our holy faith admit. Moreover, we
know from the second chapter of St. Luke, that Jesus was conceived in her
sacred womb by the power of the Holy Ghost. Hence, our Blessed Lady was by no
means bound to undergo any ceremony of purification. Again, one of the offerings
made on the day of purification was a pigeon or a dove, to be sacrificed for
sin. But what sin was there in Mary? Was it original sin? No! Because from her
inviolate womb the Son of God Himself took that hallowed flesh with which He
clothed his divine nature. Hence the holy fathers declare, and the Church
teaches as an article of faith, that she was immaculate in and from her
conception. Nor did she ever contaminate her soul by the slightest defilement
of actual sin.
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