Page 9 - St. Joseph Messenger September 2020

The Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin

How Mary shared in the life and death of her beloved Son

T
he feast day of Our Lady of Sorrows is September 15th. It follows the feast of the Exaltation of
the Holy Cross, to demonstrate the close connection between Jesus’s passion and Mary’s
sorrows. Although the feast originated in the fourteenth century, it has much earlier roots that
go back as far as the fourth century A.D. The devotion, initially, was to only five sorrows, but soon it
developed into seven sorrows. Following is a list of the seven sorrows of Mary along with supporting
Bible quotes.

The First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon
“. . . And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘Behold, this child is set for the fall and
rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your
own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.’” Lk 2:34-35

The Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt
“Now when they had departed behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is
about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ And he rose and took the child and his mother by night,
and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord
had spoken by the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’” Mt 2:13-15

The Third Sorrow: The Loss of Jesus for Three Days
“Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve
years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. . . After three days they found him in the temple, . . . And
when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you treated us
so: Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.’ And he said to them, ‘How is it
that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’” Lk 2:41-49

The Fourth Sorrow: The Ascent to Calvary
“So they took Jesus, and he went out, bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull,
which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.” Jn 19:17

The Fifth Sorrow: The Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
“There they crucified him . . . But standing by the cross of Jesus [was] his mother, . . . After this
Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), ‘I thirst.’ A bowl full of vinegar
stood there; so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his mouth. When Jesus
had received the vinegar, he said, ‘It is finished’; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”
Jn 19:18-30

The Sixth Sorrow: Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross
“Nicodemus also, who had at first come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about a hundred pounds’ weight. The took the body of Jesus, and bound it in linen cloths with the
spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.” Jn 19:39-40

The Seventh Sorrow: Jesus Is Laid in the Tomb
“Now, in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where
no one had ever been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, as the tomb was close at
hand, they laid Jesus there.” Jn 19:41-42

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