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Last year for Holy Week, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the seven Last Words of Christ, and I learned a lot of Christ and a lot about myself in the process. So this year I want to do a similar series of reflections on the seven sorrows of Mary. Before this year, I was not very familiar with the sorrows of Mary. It wasn’t a devotion I had been exposed to growing up, which surprised me a little, because my parents are incredibly devoted Catholics who love Mary a lot. But my students were preparing for a Catholic Faith Challenge where they had to know a lot of different prayers and devotions, and for the first time I learned about this devotion and the rosary that goes with it.
The seven sorrows of Mary follow the gospels stories of Simeon’s prophecy, the flight into Egypt, the loss of Jesus in the Temple, Mary meets Jesus on the Way of the Cross, the crucifixion and death of Jesus, the body of Jesus being taken down from the cross, and the burial of Jesus. There is a rosary based on these seven, where there are seven sets of seven Hail Mary prayers, along with other prayers. You can learn how to pray the Seven Sorrows Chaplet here. There are lots of beautiful chaplets on Amazon, like this Rosary of the Seven Sorrows . * You can also use the reflections from Scriptural Meditations:: For the Divine Mercy Chaplet, Franciscan Crown, Seven Sorrows and Rosary *which has several different traditional Catholic chaplets in it.
So this year my Holy Week commitment is to reflect on one of these sorrows each day, and to share my thoughts with you here. I’ll also be praying the Chaplet each day during the week for the intentions of you, readers and friends. Please feel free to let me know if there is something you would like me to pray for you specifically. Over the years I have seen God answer some pretty big prayers and I am looking forward to what he has next for us.
