Friday - September 15, 2017
“Love Mary!… She is lovable, faithful, constant. She will never let herself be outdone in love, but will ever remain supreme. If you are in danger, she will hasten to free you. If you are troubled, she will console you. If you are sick, she will bring you relief. If you are in need, she will help you. She does not look to see what kind of person you have been. She simply comes to a heart that wants to love her. She comes quickly and opens her merciful heart to you, embraces you and consoles and serves you. She will even be at hand to accompany you on the trip to eternity”
- St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows
TODAY'S READINGS
September 15, 2017
Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Lectionary: 441/639
Reading 11 TM 1:1-2, 12-14
Paul, an Apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our saviorand of Christ Jesus our hope,
to Timothy, my true child in faith:
grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I am grateful to him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord,
because he considered me trustworthy
in appointing me to the ministry.
I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man,
but I have been mercifully treated
because I acted out of ignorance in my unbelief.
Indeed, the grace of our Lord has been abundant,
along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Responsorial PsalmPS 16:1B-2A AND 5, 7-8, 11
R. (see 5) You are my inheritance, O Lord.Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, "My Lord are you."
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord.
Sequence (Optional) — Stabat Mater
At the cross her station keeping,Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last.
Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
Now at length the sword had passed.
Oh, how sad and sore distressed
Was that Mother highly blessed
Of the sole begotten One!
Christ above in torment hangs,
She beneath beholds the pangs
Of her dying, glorious Son.
Is there one who would not weep,
'Whelmed in miseries so deep,
Christ's dear Mother to behold?
Can the human heart refrain
From partaking in her pain,
In that mother's pain untold?
Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled,
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent.
For the sins of his own nation
Saw him hang in desolation
Till his spirit forth he sent.
O sweet Mother! font of love,
Touch my spirit from above,
Make my heart with yours accord.
Make me feel as you have felt;
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ, my Lord.
Holy Mother, pierce me through,
In my heart each wound renew
Of my Savior crucified.
Let me share with you his pain,
Who for all our sins was slain,
Who for me in torments died.
Let me mingle tears with you,
Mourning him who mourned for me,
All the days that I may live.
By the cross with you to stay,
There with you to weep and pray,
Is all I ask of you to give.
Virgin of all virgins blest!
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share your grief divine.
Let me to my latest breath,
In my body bear the death
Of that dying Son of yours.
Wounded with his every wound,
Steep my soul till it has swooned
In his very Blood away.
Be to me, O Virgin, nigh,
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In his awful judgment day.
Christ, when you shall call me hence,
Be your Mother my defense,
Be your cross my victory.
While my body here decays,
May my soul your goodness praise,
Safe in heaven eternally.
Amen. (Alleluia)
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary;
without dying you won the martyr's crown
beneath the Cross of the Lord.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
GospelJN 19:25-27
Standing by the cross of Jesus were his motherand his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
and Mary Magdalene.
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.
OrLK 2:33-35
Jesus' father and mother were amazed at what was said about him;and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother,
"Behold, this child is destined
for the fall and rise of many in Israel,
and to be a sign that will be contradicted
and you yourself a sword will pierce
so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."
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Your Tears are Precious to God
Tears that are cried during prayer are very valuable, like droplets of diamonds. There's nothing wrong with getting emotional and pouring our sorrows upon God. When your heart is heavy with grief over any loss, any worry, or any hurt, Jesus expects you to share the burden with him. Give yourself permission to really let it all out, from deep within. God does not throw these diamonds away. He cherishes them. He cries with you.
If tears were not prayer-diamonds, why would our Blessed Mother cry in heaven? Why would she be Our Lady of Sorrows? Isn't heaven supposed to be a place of joy, where there is no more sorrow? Yet, she cries because of sin in the world. She cries for you when you turn away from her Son. She cries when someone sins against you. She cries with you when you cry, and so does Jesus.
Crying seems to be a female trait; because of the way we are made biologically, women cry more often than men. Scientists explain that men's hormones channel their grief into anger, and yet Jesus -- fully a man -- cried for others when he saw them weeping over the death of Lazarus, and he cried for Jerusalem when he foresaw its destruction, and he cried for himself when he faced crucifixion.
God appreciates our tearful prayers, because they mean we're being honest with him and with ourselves. Such prayers come from a passion deep within. Not only are they offerings of grief, like precious diamonds for God, but they are also an act of surrender. We have reached the end of our ability to be strong, happy, and accepting of life's hardships. In that humble surrender, God has room to move in and comfort us and give us his own strength to continue onward.
Have you ever felt the hug of God? One of the scriptural names for the Holy Spirit is the Comforter, but how can we feel the embrace of a God who's invisible and intangible? Often our tears come from being unable to feel his touch when we need it most. So, we have to look for the various ways that he makes himself known to us. Throughout the day, Jesus is at our side doing little and large favors for us. Usually, however, we let our pain distract us from noticing his gifts.
In today's Gospel reading, the comforting embrace of God is made tangible between Mary and the disciple John. While he grieved over the suffering and loss of his dearest friend, she grieved with a heartbreak that only a mother can know. And Jesus, in the midst of his own pain, gave the gift of comfort to his mother and friend by giving them both to each other.
It is through community -- the gift of each other -- that we find comfort. There is no greater pain than suffering alone. God does not want you to suffer alone, ever. He's providing you with friends who will give you his embrace, just like he did for Mary and John. If you don't know who these comfort-companions are, look closer, look in new directions; they are already there for you.
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God Bless You.....
The mother of Jesus promised St. Dominic that, “one day through the rosary & the scapular I shall save the world!”
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