Sets of Seven

Seven falls can represent various sets of seven, depending on the direction of your contemplation. Consider the following three examples of sets of seven.

The Seven Deadly Sins

The Seven Deadly Sins we contemplate so that we can shun them effectively. They are, alphabetically, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, and Wrath.

The Seven Last Words

The Seven Last Words of Our Lord from the Cross are technically seven phrases. When we contemplate on them in their proper order, we get a glimpse of the progression of the salvation process, and deepen our understanding of Christ Crucified. Without Christ’s suffering, own sacrifices, penenances and mortification would not, could not be meritorious. The seven falls thus stand for Forgiveness, Salvation, Relationship, Abandonment, Distress, Triumph and Reunion:

Forgiveness: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
Salvation: Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
Relationship: Woman, behold thy son! and Behold thy mother!
Abandonment: My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
Distress: I thirst.
Triumph: It is finished.
Reunion: Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.

The seven sorrows of Our Lady

The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady, a popular devotion especially during Lent, recall to our mind the seven swords that pierces the Blessed Virgin’s Immaculate Heart. When we contemplate her sorrows, we align our suffering with hers along with that of Our Lord Jesus. The Seven Sorrows of Our Lady are often prayed alongside the Stations of the Cross, a devotion which was started by the Blessed Virgin herself.

First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon during the Presentation in the Temple
Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt
Third Sorrow: The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem for Three Days
Fourth Sorrow: Mary meeting Jesus on the Via Dolorosa, which we pray as the the Fourth Station of the Cross. It is not found in the Bible.
Fifth Sorrow: The Crucifixion of Jesus on Mount Calvary
Sixth Sorrow: Jesus’s Descent from the Cross
Seventh Sorrow: The Burial of Jesus