The First Sorrow of Mary

The Second Sorrow of Mary

The Flight into Egypt

Matthew 2:13-15

When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,
“Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to
search for the child to destroy him. Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and
departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through
the prophets might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

Mary is forced to leave her home to travel with her family to a foreign land, fearful of persecution. We hear Jesus’ voice: “I was … a stranger, and you welcomed me.” So many people and families around the world follow in Mary’s footsteps, fleeing war, disaster and persecution, seeking opportunities to work and live with dignity.

Reflect:

1. When have I been a stranger in need of welcome? 
2. When have I had the opportunity to welcome a stranger? How did I respond?

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be … 

Painting by Vittore Carpaccio

The Third Sorrow of Mary 

The Loss of The Child Jesus in The Temple

Luke 2:41-50

Each year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve
years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they
were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their
relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After
three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them
and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his
answers.

When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you
done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my
Father’s house?”

But they did not understand what he said to them.

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

Anxious and worried, Mary did not stop seeking Jesus. She looked among friends, family and strangers alike. And though she found him, she did not understand his words. We, too, seek Jesus—and seek to do his work in our world. Often, like Mary, we are anxious and worried about building up God’s kingdom, and we may not understand challenges that come our way. Let us follow her example, trusting that Christ calls us where we are most needed to do that work that only we can do. 

Reflect:

1. When have I felt anxious—as Mary did—in my efforts to do God’s work in the world? How did I work through those feelings? 
2. Sometimes I am called to plant seeds of peace and justice that others will water and still others will see bloom. How do I respond, even if I am uncertain of my own role?  

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be … 

The Fourth Sorrow of Mary

The Meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross

The Fourth Station of the Cross

Mary meets Jesus on his way to Calvary. Her son is mocked and jeered at, his body bruised and
broken, crushed under the weight of the cross he bears. What quiet word does she have for him?
What does he say to her? She knows he goes to his death, that her time with him is nearing an end.
Yet, she does not abandon her son. She does not waver in her resolve to be with him until the end.

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

Mary put herself in a dangerous place. In order to be present to her son—a condemned criminal—in his most dire moment, she had to put herself in physical danger, surrounded by a crowd of bloodthirsty men and women. But, bolstered by faith and fortitude, her love never wavered. In Mary, we see ourselves being present to people society has marginalized, condemned, cast out. Through Mary, we are encouraged to be present to our sisters and brothers experiencing the greatest need.

Reflect:

1. How does Mary’s example in the face of human suffering fortify me in my efforts to build God’s kingdom of justice and peace?  
2. What do I think Mary felt in this moment of encounter? Have I experienced similar moments in my own life?

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be … 

Painting by Bernardo Cavallino

The Fifth Sorrow of Mary

The Crucifixion

John 19:17-30

And carrying the cross himself he went out to what is called the Place of the Skull, in Hebrew,
Golgotha. There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus in
the middle.

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and
Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his
mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from
that hour the disciple took her into his home.

After this, aware that everything was now finished, in order that the scripture might be fulfilled,
Jesus said, “I thirst.” There was a vessel filled with common wine. So they put a sponge soaked in
wine on a sprig of hyssop and put it up to his mouth. When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is
finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

Was this a hopeless moment for Mary? Did she feel like God had abandoned her? In Mary, we see a woman who is present to suffering to the very end. We see a woman who, though she herself has been hurt, does not fail to reach out to others in their suffering. Jesus, through Mary, invites us to reflect on the importance of community, even in moments of great darkness.

Reflect:

1. Do I make myself available to others, even if I am suffering?
2. What role can my community play in moments of challenge and suffering?

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be … 

The Sixth Sorrow of Mary 

Jesus is Taken Down from the Cross

Mark 15:42-46

When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day before the Sabbath,
Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the council, who was himself awaiting the
kingdom of God, came and courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was
amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked him if Jesus had already
died. And when he learned of it from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph. Having bought a
linen cloth, he took him down, wrapped him in the linen cloth and laid him in a tomb that had been
hewn out of the rock.

Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

Never leaving her son’s side, even after his death, Mary reveals to us the importance of death with dignity. Jesus’ body is not left on the cross, but brought down to be buried. In our world today, many of our sisters and brothers are left upon their own crosses: crosses of hunger, homelessness, war and persecution.

Reflect:

1. Who around me is left upon a cross? How can I help bring him or her down? 
2. How do I promote the dignity of those around me—both near and far—throughout their entire lives? Have I provided care with dignity to someone in need, perhaps at the end of their earthly life?

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be …

Painting by El Greco

The Seventh Sorrow of Mary

Jesus Is Placed In The Tomb

John 19:38-42

After this, Joseph of Arimathea, secretly a disciple of Jesus for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate if he
could remove the body of Jesus. And Pilate permitted it. So he came and took his body. Nicodemus,
the one who had first come to him at night, also came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes
weighing about one hundred pounds. They took the body of Jesus and bound it with burial cloths
along with the spices, according to the Jewish burial custom. Now in the place where he had been
crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried.
So they laid Jesus there because of the Jewish preparation day; for the tomb was close by.

Mary, Mother and Disciple:

We know how the story ends—in three days, Jesus is raised from the dead, bringing salvation for all. Yet, Mary did not know, and she persevered anyway. She buried her son and then went about his work, comforting his friends, despite her sadness. Mary is an example of faith-filled hope, the kind of hope we must cultivate in our own lives as we wait and work for God’s kingdom.

Reflect:

1. When has God surprised me, taking what I considered a failure and turning it into a great success?

2. How can Mary’s example be an inspiration for my own work, especially as I seek to build God’s kingdom on earth?  

Pray:

Our Father … Hail Mary … Glory be … 

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