Through meditation on Mary’s sorrows, we can obtain particular graces that will help us develop a virtuous heart.In the Gospel of Luke, the narrator explains that “Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Based on this passage, various devotions have risen over the years, including a devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It focuses on the various trials and pain Mary experienced in her life and how she must have pondered them within her heart.
One set of prayers connected to this devotion is found in the Raccolta, a collection of prayers from the 19th century, and highlights each sorrow of Mary, asking for her intercession for the grace of a particular virtue. This sequence displays the virtues Mary must have had when experiencing such pain in her life and encourages us to develop those same virtues in our own lives.
I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the affliction of thy tender heart when the holy old man Simeon prophesied to thee. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of holy fear of God.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the anxiety which thy sensitive heart underwent in the flight to and sojourn in Egypt. Dear Mother, by thy heart which was then made so anxious, obtain for me the virtue of liberality, specially towards the poor, and the gift of piety.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the trouble of thy careful heart when thou didst lose thy dear Son Jesus. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of holy chastity and the gift of knowledge.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the shock thy maternal heart underwent when Jesus met thee as He carried His cross. Dear Mother, by thy loving heart then so overwhelmed, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the martyrdom thy generous heart bore so nobly whilst thou didst stand by Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so martyred, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the wound of thy tender heart when the sacred Side of Jesus was pierced with the lance. Dear Mother, by thy heart then so transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Hail Mary…I unite myself to thee, sorrowing Mary, in the pang felt by thy loving heart when the Body of Jesus was buried in the grave. Dear Mother, by all the bitterness of desolation thou didst then experience, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.
Hail Mary…
Read more:
A short guide to praying the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary
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Why is September dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows?
