PODCAST | Our Lady of Sorrows

In September the Church celebrates the feasts of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (14th) and Our Lady of Sorrows (15th).

On today’s podcast we prepare ourselves for the celebration of these feasts with the help of Our Lady by observing her example during the Passion of her Son and contemplating her at the foot of the Cross.

Our Lady places us firmly in our belief that Jesus is the only Savior of all humanity and that without the Cross there is no redemption. She is the example of the co-redemptive meaning of our own pains and sufferings. She teaches us how to handle set-backs and illness with acceptance and abandonment.

Our Lady of Sorrows places us at her side before Jesus on the Cross to help us mature in our share in the mission of her Son. Bringing us to the Cross means helping us to face up to the difficulties of life, since learning how to deal with suffering is a major step in our personal growth. And, it means sharing in the mission of the redemption of Christ, which gives great depth to the purpose of our lives.

Therefore, at the foot of the Cross:

• Ask yourself: How do I handle difficulties? Do I dig deeper to find its deeper meaning?
• Contemplate the great miracles of Jesus and see how most of them were messy.
• Consider: If we don’t have the Cross, what are we left with?
• Ask for the grace of great serenity, joy, and efficacy in your mission to co-redeem with Christ.

Finally, like St. Paul, we want the grace to share this mission with our friends: “When I came to you, brothers, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive (words of) wisdom, but with a demonstration of spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God” (1 Cor 2:1-5).