Joyous Sets of Seven
There are sorrowful sets of seven to concentrate on when we align our penance with the suffering of Christ, and there are also joyous sets of seven. Joyous sets of seven invite us to reflect, not so much of our own shortcomings, but on the freedom our Lord Jesus purchased for us. Freedom from sin is a freedom for a life that is governed by the Voice and Will of God, rather than the whisperings and promises of the devil. Such a life is open to welcome the gifts of the Holy Spirit as described in the first verses of Isa 11, where we find the “spirit of the Lord” resting on the “rod out of the stem of Jesse”, as well as on the “Branch” that “shall grow out of his roots”.
Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit
It is essential to be aware of and repent from our sins, failures and shortcomings in order to find our way to God. But when we have done so, we also need to fill the house that has been swept clean with that which pleases Our Lord. One of the many places where Scripture discloses what faith produces in us is Isa 11:2 and the following verses. In a contemplative penitential setting, we seek for, ask for, knock on the door for the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. These gifts are (in English and Latin):
- Wisdom (sapientia),
- understanding (intellectus),
- counsel (consilium),
- fortitude (fortitudo),
- knowledge (cognitio/scientia),
- piety (pietas), and
- fear of the Lord (timor Domini).
The Franciscan Crown: The Seven Joys of Mary
Freedom from sin also allows us to contemplate on the Seven Joys of Mary, Our Blessed Mother, to whom Jesus gave the apostel John, and to us all, to be her children: “Woman, this is your son.” In the Fransciscan tradition, the Seven Joys of Mary are also called The Franciscan Crown. They are prayed very much like a rosary with seven decades instead of five, plus two extra Ave Maria prayers for a total of 72 Ave Marias, one for each year Our Lady lived on this earth.
The Seven Joys of Mary are:
- The Annunciation,
- the Visitation,
- the Nativity of Jesus,
- the Adoration of the Magi,
- the Finding in the Temple,
- the Resurrection of Jesus, and finally,
- either or both the Assumption of Mary and the Coronation of the Virgin.
“When we appeal to the throne of grace we do so through Mary, honoring God by honoring His Mother, imitating Him by exalting her, touching the most responsive chord in the Sacred Heart of Christ with the sweet name of Mary.”
~ St. Robert Bellarmine
