DAY 32 - MARY, GATE OF HEAVEN, PRAY FOR US
STATE OF GRACE
PRAY A ROSARY
- Rosary of the Day: Sorowful Mysteries
- Traditional 54 Day Rotation: Sorrowful Mysteries
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS
3
For rulers are not a cause of FEAR
to good conduct, but to evil. Do
you wish to have no FEAR of authority? Then do what is good and you will
receive approval from it, 4 for it is a servant of God for your
good. But if you do evil, be AFRAID, for it does not bear the sword
without purpose; it is the servant of God to inflict wrath on the evildoer.
What
we are talking about here is blind obedience or loyalty. Paul concludes that
believers are to render obedience to governing authorities and by doing so they
render obedience to God from whose power all authority comes. Paul deduces that
kings and magistrates’ rule by consent of God, but it is the responsibility of
these authorities to make just ordinances and to enact laws that support
decency. Caesar is not entitled to
obedience when such obedience would nullify God’s prior claim to the believer’s
morality.
Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows
We must follow the example of Our Lady of Sorrows and bring our savior to others and undergo the joys with the sorrows. Today would be a good day to contemplate the seven sorrows of our Lady and to pray and honor her for she is our mother too.
This feast is dedicated to the spiritual martyrdom of Mary,
Mother of God, and her compassion with the sufferings of her Divine Son, Jesus.
In her suffering as co-redeemer, she reminds us of the tremendous evil of sin
and shows us the way of true repentance. May the numerous tears of the Mother
of God be conducive to our salvation; with which tears Thou, O God, art able to
wash away the sins of the whole world.
As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on which Jesus hung,
the sword of sorrow Simeon had foretold pierced her soul. Below are the seven
sorrows of Mary:
- The
prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
- The
flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
- Loss
of the Child Jesus for three days (Luke 2:41-50)
- Mary
meets Jesus on his way to Calvary (Luke 23:27-31; John 19:17)
- Crucifixion
and Death of Jesus (John 19:25-30)
- The
body of Jesus being taken from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54;
John 19:31-37)
- The
burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark
15:40-47)
Pope Pius VII[1] approved another series of prayers in honor of the Seven Sorrows
for daily meditation in 1815:
O God, come to my assistance; O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory
be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is
now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
1. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the affliction of your
tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your
heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the
holy fear of God. Hail Mary…
2. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary…
3. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which
tried your troubled heart at the loss of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your
heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of
knowledge. Hail Mary…
4. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of
your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart
so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.
Hail Mary…
5. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which
your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother,
by your afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of
counsel. Hail Mary…
6. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your
compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His
Body was removed from the Cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed,
obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding.
Hail Mary…
7. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that
wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your
heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of
diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary…
Let Us Pray:
Let intercession be made for us, we beseech You, O Lord Jesus
Christ, now and at the hour of our death, before the throne of Your mercy, by
the Blessed Virgin Mary, Your Mother, whose most holy soul was pierced by a
sword of sorrow in the hour of Your bitter Passion. Through You, O Jesus
Christ, Savior of the world, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and
reigns world without end. Amen.
Daily meditate upon the Seven Sorrows. Please the Sacred Heart of
the Redeemer by pondering the Sorrowful Heart of the Co-redemptrix. Receive the
remarkably generous graces which come from uniting our hearts each day to the
Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of the Mother.
St.
Bridget of Sweden (1303-1373), Our Lady directly revealed the amazing graces
granted by her Son for all those who daily and pray seven Hail Mary’s while
meditating on her seven dolors and tears:
1.
“I will grant peace to their families.”
2. “They will be enlightened about
the Divine Mysteries.”
3. “I will console them in their pains,
and I will accompany them in their work.”
4. “I will give them as much as
they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my Divine Son
or the sanctification of their souls.”
5. “I will defend them in their
spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every
instant of their lives.”
6. “I will visibly help them at the
moment of their death—they will see the face of their mother.”
7. “I have obtained this grace from
my divine Son, that those who propagate this devotion to my tears and dolors
will be taken directly from this earthly life to eternal happiness, since all
their sins will be forgiven, and my Son will be their eternal consolation and
joy.”[2]
Things to Do[3]
Teach
your children the Seven Sorrows of Mary. Read more about this devotion. September is traditionally
dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.
·
Present different art pieces of Our Lady of
Sorrows, or illustration of one of her sorrows, for meditation and discussion.
There are so many different pieces from all different eras, countries and
mediums. Search words for art titles would be Lamentation, Deposition, Pieta,
Dolorosa, Sorrows, etc. Some samples:
o
The Seven
Sorrows of the Virgin by Albrecht Durer
o
Michelangelo's Pieta
o
Pieta
by Giovanni Bellini
o
Vincent Van Gogh's Pieta
o
Titian's Mater
Dolorosa
o
Different artists on the
Presentation in the Temple
o
Various artists on the Flight
into Egypt
·
Discuss why Mary is called the Queen of Martyrs.
·
Make a heart-shaped cake for dessert, decorated
with the swords piercing the heart.
·
Think of ways to make reparation to Mary for the
sins committed against Our Lord.
·
Pray the short prayer or ejaculation, Holy
Mother, imprint deeply upon my heart the wounds of the Crucified.
·
Read or sing the Stabat Mater, perhaps
incorporating it with the Stations of the Cross.
·
In Italy, the title of Our Lady of Sorrows is Maria
Santissima Addolorata. This devotion began in the 1200s. She is the patron
of many Italian cities. In southern Italy there is La Festa della Madonna
dei Sette Dolori (the festival of the Seven Sorrows of the Madonna),
instituted in 1423, also called Madonna dell’Addolorata Festival. The food
connected to this festival is cuccia salata, wheat berries cooked in meat broth
and layered with goat or pork.
·
I will be hiking and praying using my reflections
in my book Divine
Mercy Hikes.
35 Promises of God[4] cont.
“Do not fear, for I am with you, do not be afraid, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you...
Daily
Devotions/Practices
·
Make
reparations to the Holy Face-Tuesday
Devotion
·
Pray Day 3 of
the Novena for our Pope and Bishops
·
Tuesday:
Litany of St. Michael the Archangel
·
Offering to
the sacred heart of Jesus
·
Rosary.
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