Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

Prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows

O Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Sorrows, you stood by your Son, Jesus, sharing in His suffering and offering your love and compassion.

Comfort all who are in sorrow, strengthen those who are in pain, and console the hearts of the afflicted. Help us to carry our own crosses with patience, courage, and trust in God’s plan.

O Mother of Sorrows, teach us to unite our sufferings with those of your Son, to offer them in love, and to seek always the grace of forgiveness, hope, and peace.

Pray for us, O loving Mother, that we may grow in faith and perseverance and share in the eternal joy of your Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen.

A prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows is a devotional practice within Catholicism that focuses on the sorrows experienced by the Blessed Virgin Mary during her life, particularly those related to the Passion and death of Jesus Christ. These prayers often seek Mary's intercession, compassion, and strength in times of suffering and sorrow for the faithful.

The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows has roots in the 14th century and became more organized in the mid-13th century, with early forms focusing on five sorrows before evolving into the Seven Sorrows of Mary. These seven sorrows are:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon: When Jesus was presented in the Temple, Simeon prophesied to Mary, "And you yourself a sword shall pierce." (Luke 2:34-35)

2. The Flight into Egypt: Mary and Joseph had to flee to Egypt with the infant Jesus to escape Herod's persecution. (Matthew 2:13-21)

3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple: Mary and Joseph searched for three days for Jesus after He was lost in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:41-50)

4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on the Way to Calvary: Mary encountered her Son as He carried the cross to His crucifixion. (John 19:17)

5. The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus: Mary stood at the foot of the cross as Jesus suffered and died. (John 19:18-30)

6. The Piercing of the Side of Jesus and His Descent from the Cross: Mary received the body of Jesus after He was taken down from the cross. (John 19:39-40)

7. The Burial of Jesus: Mary witnessed the burial of Jesus in the tomb. John 19:39-42.

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is often expressed through various prayers, including novenas, which are nine-day prayer sequences, and specific prayers that reflect on each of the seven sorrows. These prayers seek graces such as humility, generosity, chastity, patience, temperance, fraternal charity, diligence, and wisdom, often connecting them to Mary's experiences of suffering. The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is celebrated annually on September 15th.

An example of a prayer to Our Lady of Sorrows is:

"O most holy Mother, Queen of Sorrows, who followed your beloved Son through all the Way of the Cross, and whose heart was pierced with a fresh sword of grief at all the stations of that most sorrowful journey, obtain for us, we beseech you, O most loving Mother, a perpetual remembrance of our Blessed Saviour’s Cross and Death, and a true and tender devotion to all the mysteries of his most holy Passion."

This devotion is believed to bring several graces to those who honor Mary daily by saying seven Hail Marys and meditating on her tears and sorrows, including peace in families, enlightenment about divine mysteries, consolation in pain, and assistance at the hour of death.

OTHER PRAYER : "Immaculate Mary, who bore sorrow for our sake at the foot of the Cross, your Heart accepted the Blood which your Son shed and your Heart suffered the pain of the Cross, the thorns and the nails which tormented Him, and you accepted us as your children: grant that we may dwell in your Heart so sweet. It is good to stay at the foot of the Cross with you, O Mary, Mother of God and our Mother, Advocate of sinners, Sovereign Mediatrix of the universe, Teacher of the truth. O most sweet Mother, teach us to love Jesus, and to imitate his virtues, of which he revealed himself to be Master when hanging on the cross. Inflame us with zeal to quench the thirst of our Savior who yearns for souls. Our Lady of Sorrows, help us to climb the hill of Calvary by the side of Jesus who carries the Cross and beside you who accompany him, so that we may reach the holy Mountain of God. Mary, our Mother, grant that we may always embrace our cross and thus live united to your Heart forever. Amen.