Just a friendly reminder that the annual Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows begins on September 6th,so as to end on September 14th, on the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. That date of the 14th is also important as it is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (also known as the Triumph of the Cross.)
It is quite appropriate to beigin the novena so that it ends on the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Sorrowful Mother stood at the Foot of the Cross as Jesus was dying, your novena meditations can take you along with our sweet and sorrowful mama as she suffers with Jesus. To end the novena of the feastday that commemorates the discovery of the True Cross by St. Helena is very symbolic of the connection of the Cross to Our Lady’s Sorrows, and that sorrow can be turned into joy (or that sorrow can help us appreciate joy.)
Here are Jesus’ four promises to those who devote themselves to Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows:
1. “That those who invoke the divine Mother by her sorrows, before death, will merit to obtain true repentance of all their sins.”
2. “That He will protect such in their tribulations, especially at the hour of death.”
3. “That He will impress upon them the memory of His passion, and that they shall have their reward for it in heaven.”
4. “That He will commit such devout servants to the hands of Mary, that she may dispose of them according to her pleasure, and obtain for them all the graces she desires.”
Our Lady’s Seven Promises to those who meditate daily on her Seven Sorrows:
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 sorrows 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.”
Source: The Promises of those who meditate upon Our Lady of Sorrows every day
The Seven Sorrows Rosary, or the Seven Sorrows Chaplet, dates back to the Middle Ages. However, Our Lady of Kibeho reintroduced this devotion to visionary Marie-Claire Mukangango in Kibeho, Rwanda, in the 1980s.
Our Lady’s messages to Marie-Claire focused on an “urgent call to repentance”:
“Repent, repent, repent! Convert while there is still time.”
Many graces result from praying this devotion; however, it should not replace the traditional rosary. Our Lady requests the faithful to pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Below are Our Lady of Sorrows’ promises to those who pray the Seven Sorrows Rosary, according to Marie Claire’s visions:
1) With the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, the hardest hearts shall change, if you pray it for yourself or for others.
2) By the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, you shall be freed from obsessions and addiction.
3) This rosary, when said from the heart, it will win us true repentance of our sins and free our souls from guilt and remorse.
4) Those who say it often, especially as recommended by Our Lady to Marie Claire, on Tuesdays and Fridays, shall obtain a clear understanding of their weaknesses and flaws causing them to sin, and those things we don’t like about ourselves and thought were a part of our character, shall change.
5) You shall obtain whatever you ask for through this rosary, praying this rosary from the heart.
Source: The Promises of Mary to those who pray the Seven Sorroews Chaplet
ALSO: Seven Sorrows Rosary Prayer
Daily meditations on the Seven Sorrows could be done by reciting the Seven Sorrows Chaplet every day, or by using books. The two best available (among others) are “The Glories of Mary” by St. Alphonsus Liguori and “Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother” by The Benedictine Convent of Clyde. Both of these are available thru Tan Books:
Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother
The Glories of Mary
My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)