September: Our Lady of Sorrows
The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, Mater Dolorosa: On September 15th, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows.
Our Lady of Sorrows
From very early on, Mary was keenly aware that the Son of God, who was also her son, was born to suffer, to be the “man of sorrows” the prophet spoke about. This month, September, we particularly remember Mary’s role in the life and passion of Our Lord, how she suffered when He was still a child during the flight to Egypt and when Simeon prophesied over the child Jesus during the Presentation. More suffering followed when she lost Jesus for three days when He was twelve, and finally when she went with Him every step of the way during His passion. She was the first to pray the Stations of the Cross, even as they were unfolding.
Stabat Mater
Many Western composers have put to music a hymn from the 13th century, “Stabat Mater”, “The Mother was standing”. On the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, this hymn is sung at the liturgy. The first two stanzas run:
| Stabat mater dolorósa juxta Crucem lacrimósa, dum pendébat Fílius. | At the Cross her station keeping, Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last: |
| Cuius ánimam geméntem, contristántem et doléntem pertransívit gládius. | Through her heart, his sorrow sharing, All his bitter anguish bearing, now at length the sword has pass’d. |
Of course, there are a lot more stanzas to it, and if you are looking for a version of the Stabat Mater online, you will find anything from three-minute videos to over an hour long compositions. I happen to like this rendering of Antonio Vivaldi‘s version a lot:
The Prophesy of Simeon
The sword that “at length” pierces Our Lady is a reference to the prophesy of Simeon:
“And Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35, KJV)
Since Mary’s sorrows are seven in number, depictions of Our Lady of Sorrows with seven swords piercing her, or Mary surrounded by pictures showing her seven sorrows, are numerous.
During the month of September, many people pray the Seven Sorrows of Mary in much the same way they otherwise pray the Stations of the Cross.
