SUFFERING WITH PEACE AND JOY! ~ CookingFood.Org

“HONEY FROM THE ROCK”

Thursday, 15^th September 2016,

Twenty Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows

Heb 5: 7-9; or 1Cor 15:1-11

Ps 30: 2-6, 15-16, 20;

Jn 19: 25-27, 35 or Lk 2: 33-35

SUFFERING WITH PEACE AND JOY!

We remember today the sorrows of our Blessed Mother Mary. The sorrow of Mary was a deep sorrow. Mary was a perfect human person because she never sinned, but this does not mean that we should imagine her as an unfeeling person, occupying unearthly realms. Because of her perfection, she loved more deeply than we can. Because of this love, she felt the pain of loss more acutely than we do. The sorrow of Mary, unlike our own, was pure. Our own sorrows are always mixed up with selfishness. Mary did not mourn because her Son would not be around to support her. She mourned because she saw the suffering of the one she loved, and she felt his pain and sorrow as acutely as he felt it himself. We can only imagine how Jesus felt seeing his mother in sorrow. Surely it caused him some pain, but it also was a great support. The rest of the world might be cruel and selfish, but the face of his mother was the one place he could rest his eyes, seeing in her the image and likeness that he had put in us when he created us.

The sorrow of Mary was not a sorrow without hope. She knew with certain hope that Jesus would rise from the dead. Her hope did not keep her from feeling keen pain, nor did the pain keep her from expecting his Resurrection. Mary is our mother. Like every good mother, she teaches us. We should spend time with her at the foot of the Cross, begging her to teach us to face sorrow in our lives. Let us never hesitate to run to her for consolation and help when we are faced with adversity and suffering, for she will be there, standing with us and suffering with us, bringing it all to the feet of her Son on our behalf.

Prayer: Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us. Amen.