Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Our Lady's Fifth Sorrow



Jesus Dies on the Cross
Now there were standing by the cross of Jesus his mother... (John 19:25)
St. John did not deem it necessary to elaborate with reference to the martyrdom of Mary. See her now at the foot of the cross gazing upon Her dying Son, and ask your soul if there ever was a sorrow like unto Her sorrow. Stay awhile on Calvary and consider the fifth sword which pierced the heart of Mary — the death of Jesus.

As soon as our Lord reached Calvary, the soldiers stripped off His clothes, and fixed His hands and feet with nails, fastening Him to the cross. They raised the cross and left Him to die. The executioners left Him, all the Apostles but John left Him, but Mary did not leave Him. She stood close to the cross to be near Him in death. "I did not leave Him," She revealed to St. Bridget, "but stood nearer the cross."

"Jesus, grant that I may die in pressing to my lips the cross that is bathed in Thy Blood!"
~ St Charles Borromeo
Prayer
I grieve for thee, O Mary most sorrowful,
in the martyrdom which thy generous heart
endured in standing near Jesus in His agony.
Dear Mother,
by thy afflicted heart, obtain for me
the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.
Hail Mary...

2 comments:

Knitting a Conundrum said...

In Your Tears

In your tears, O grieving Mother,
What a world of sorrow shimmers,
While the rot of hate now simmers
As they vie with one another
To add shame to the weight he bears.

In your tears, O grieving Mother,
Echoes all the weight of sin
Pain and anguish entered in
Since Eva listened to another
And the world grew rife with tares.

In your tears, O grieving Mother,
Witness to a great God's gift
Of how he chose to heal the rift
Sacrificing for all others
Lamb of God, the cross now bears.

In your tears, O grieving Mother
I see the sorrow veil your face
As you penetrate that place
Your greatest yes to give the Father,
The pain of your son's death you bear.

Let me grieve with you, my Mother,
As you sit in sorrow deep,
God pierce my heart that I might weep
For the sins of self and brother
That lead you to such pain and care.

Susan E. Stone

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Sanctus Belle said...

What a beautiful prayer. May I use it in a future meditation? Thank you so much for leaving a message