Our Lady of Sorrows

Reflection Date: September 15, 2026 | Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows
Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31a; John 19:25-27

Children of God:
The Church’s devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows grew from a desire to contemplate not only Mary’s joy in being the mother of Jesus but also the immense suffering she experienced because of her love for him. 

Christians especially reflected on the moments in Mary’s life when she encountered the pain, rejection, suffering, and death of her Son. 

Over the centuries, these reflections became associated with the Seven Sorrows of Mary, including the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the child Jesus in Jerusalem, the meeting of Jesus on the way to Calvary, the standing of Mary beneath the Cross, the receiving of the dead Christ, and the burial of Jesus. 

Medieval Christians became particularly drawn to these scenes because they saw in Mary someone who did not run away from suffering when suffering became unavoidable. 

The Servite Order played an important role in spreading devotion to Mary’s sorrows, and the liturgical observance gradually developed in the Church. 

A feast connected with Mary’s Seven Sorrows was celebrated in different places before it became more widely established in the universal Church. 

The feast is now celebrated on September 15, immediately after the celebration of the Triumph of the Cross, creating a meaningful connection between the Cross of Christ and the sorrow of his Mother. 

The Church does not contemplate Mary’s suffering because Christians are fascinated by sadness or because pain itself is something to glorify. 

Rather, Mary’s sorrow is contemplated because it reveals what love looks like when there is nothing left to do except remain faithful and present. 

That is why generations of Christians have found comfort in Mary: she represents the person who knows what it means to watch someone she loves suffer and still remain there.

The gospel story of John brought us directly to that painful scene. 

Mary stood near the Cross while Jesus was dying, and Jesus looked at her and the disciple he loved and said, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” (John 19:26-27) 

There was no miracle to remove the pain at that moment, no explanation that immediately made everything understandable, and no easy answer to Mary’s sorrow.

So, what are our inspirations for today?

First, love sometimes means staying when you cannot fix the pain.

Mary could not remove Jesus from the Cross. 

She could not stop the soldiers, silence the crowd, or take away the suffering of her Son. 

Yet she remained there. Her presence itself became an expression of love.

We often feel helpless when someone we love is suffering. 

We want to give advice, find a solution, say something comforting, or somehow make the problem disappear. 

But there are moments when none of those things work: A friend is grieving, a parent is aging, a child is making painful choices, a spouse is struggling, or someone we love is facing an illness or crisis, and all we can do is remain present.

Mary teaches us that presence is not nothing. 

Sometimes sitting beside someone in silence is already an act of love. 

Sometimes the most important words are not spoken because the person who suffers does not need an explanation but simply needs to know that somebody has not abandoned them.

Love sometimes means staying when you cannot fix the pain.

Second, sorrow becomes lighter when we know that we do not carry it alone.

When Jesus saw Mary beneath the Cross, he connected her with the disciple he loved. 

He told the disciple to receive Mary as his mother, and from that moment, Mary was no longer standing alone in that painful scene. 

The moment of sorrow became, strangely enough, a moment of relationship.

This speaks powerfully to people who are carrying private pain. 

There are burdens that we hide because we do not want to bother anyone, because we are afraid of being judged, or because we think we are supposed to be strong. 

Sometimes we become so accustomed to carrying our pain alone that we forget that other people are willing to walk with us.

Mary’s sorrow therefore becomes an invitation to build communities where people do not have to suffer in isolation. 

We can be that person who listens without immediately judging, who checks on someone who suddenly becomes quiet, who sits beside a grieving friend, or who simply says, “I am here.” 

The gospel story reminds us that compassion does not always remove suffering, but it can make suffering less lonely.

Sorrow becomes lighter when we know that we do not carry it alone.

As we reflect, we ask ourselves: Who is the person in my life who is suffering and needs my presence more than my advice? 

What sorrow am I carrying silently because I am afraid or unwilling to share it with someone I trust? How can I become more present to people who are going through difficult moments instead of avoiding them because I do not know what to say?

Children of God:
Mary’s sorrow reminds us that love does not always look beautiful or victorious. 

Sometimes love looks like standing quietly beside a hospital bed, sitting with someone who is grieving, waiting for a phone call, or remaining faithful when there seems to be nothing we can do. 

Mary stood beneath the Cross because she loved Jesus, even when she could not change what was happening to him. 

The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows tells us that we do not need to run away from every painful experience. 

It teaches us that our presence can become a gift even when our words fail.