Our Lady of Sorrows

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I have a real connection to Our Lady of Sorrows. I suppose every mother does or thinks she does, as every mother suffers for, through and with her children.

My relationship with the Blessed Mother has been unfolding since my conversion. At first, I could not connect with her at all. Try as I might, I couldn't relate to her as much more than a plaster statue or a holy card; at best, she was an historical figure. In fact, I was having the same difficulties with her as I had had with Christ before my conversion. This was compounded by the fact that while growing up I had had a rather difficult relationship with my own mother. No fault of hers--I was a really difficult child (and adolescent and teen).

The Sorrowful Mother first "came to me" in the form of an old Servite prayer book entitled, Behold Thy Mother, which I "rescued" from a thrift store in Charlotte, NC. It was under a glass counter, priced at $8 (pretty pricey for a thrift store), but it happened to be the day when everything in the store was 50% off.

It is full of devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows, as that is the particular devotion of the Servite order. It remains my favorite prayer book. Over the years, it has become easier and easier to turn to Mary with my troubles. I have consecrated myself and my family to her for years, but it has only been fairly recently that I felt a real comfort in turning to her.

I felt badly this year, as I did not manage to carry through with the spiritual preparations for my annual re-consecration to Mary according to the method of St. Louis de Montfort. I would have had to start on July 13th, and Gemma was born on the 14th. I felt badly because I really never thought about what "gift" I would give Mary this time, and asked her to tell me what she would like. If she has done so, the hint has been too subtle for me to understand.

Instead, I feel that she has given me a gift, as my love of her and trust in her has increased noticeably since the Feast of the Assumption, the feast on which I was to reconsecrate myself. I also keep coming across her name in connection with St. Gemma Galgani. For instance, this morning as I was reading today's selection from My Daily Catholic Bible, I read the quote at the beginning for the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows:

"Blessed Mother dear, lend me your heart. I look for it each day to pour my troubles into."

--St. Gemma Galgani

Let us continue to pour out our troubles to our devoted Mother, who will never fail to comfort and strengthen us.