Reflection for Thursday, 24th Week of Ordinary Time
By
Fr. Aloysius Santiago sdb
Director, Social Action Movement, Don Bosco Bidar
Memorial of our Mother of Sorrows
Today's WORD of GOD
Luke 2: 33 - 35
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Today's Reflection
Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows
Today We Remember the Spiritual Martyrdom of the Mother of JESUS & Her Participation in the Sufferings of Her Divine Son.
Mary is the Queen of Martyrs because She Suffered in Spirit All JESUS Suffered during HIS Passion & Death, Her Spiritual Torments were Greater than the Bodily Agonies of the Martyrs, & Mary Offered Her Sorrows to GOD for Our Sake.
The Title, “Our Lady of Sorrows,” was 1st Given to Our Lady to Recall Her Intense Grief during the Passion & Death of Our LORD.
The 7 Sorrows of Mary are :
Simeon’s Prophecy about the Sword of Sorrow (Lk 2: 34-35);
The Flight of Joseph, Mary & JESUS into Egypt (Mt 2: 13);
The Loss of the Child JESUS in the Temple (Lk 2: 43-45);
Mary Meets JESUS on the Way to Calvary (Lk 23: 26);
Standing at the Foot of JESUS' Cross (John 19: 25);
Mary Receives the Body of JESUS in Her Arms (Mt 27: 57);
The Body of JESUS is Placed in the Tomb (John 19: 40).
True Compassion
When Someone We Love Suffers, We Suffer Along with Them. The More We Love Someone, the More We Suffer when They Suffer.
This is Especially True of Parents when Their Children Suffer. When a Son or Daughter is Suffering Physically or Emotionally or Mentally, the Mother & Father is Suffering just as much as Their Child is Suffering, & Sometimes even More so.
U Give Your heart in Love to Someone & Invariably, It will be Broken. There is No Love Without Suffering. The Only Way to Avoid that Kind of Suffering is to Lock Our heart Up.
The Temptation can be to Refuse to Give Our heart to Anything or Anyone, so that It is Kept Intact & Never Gets Broken, but to Do that is only 2b Half Alive.
Mary Gave Her heart to Her Son & when Her Son’s Body was Broken, Mary’s heart was Broken. Michelangelo’s Pieta Captures that Very Powerfully.
Simeon in Today’s Gospel Makes that Connection between JESUS' Suffering & that of HIS Mother. JESUS is ‘Destined to be a Sign that is Rejected’ &, as for Mary, ‘a Sword will Pierce Your Own Soul too.’
When Our Own heart Breaks because of Love We can Look to Our Lady of Sorrows as Our Inspiration & Our Support.
On This Feast Day let Us Pray for Those who Continue to Endure Similar Sufferings that They may Receive from GOD the Strength that They Desperately Need to Continue to Carry Their Spiritual Crosses.
Let Us also Remember with Repentant Hearts that It is Our Sins which Caused the Suffering of JESUS & Mary.
Good morning
Have a lovely day
God bless the work of your hands