Category Archives: Sorrowful Mother

Lenten Novena to Our Lady of Sorrows: Day 1

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There is an old, pre-1969 Catholic devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. Prior to the revision of the liturgical calendar in 1969, the Friday after Passion Sunday was known as the Feast of the Seven Dolors/Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. (It’s confusing as this is now the Fifth Sunday of Lent and it gets more confusing as the next Sunday is Palm Sunday with its Passion readings.) Since this Feast of Our Lady essentially duplicated the September 15th Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, it was deleted from the calendar in 1970. (I think it was a mistake to do this, but I was only six at the time and no one bothered to ask me.)

There was also a Novena as a part of this old liturgical date; I learned of it from an old prayerbook from 1953 entitled, “Mary, My Hope,” by Fr. Lawrence Lovasik. (There is an updated, post-Vatican II version released, I think, in the 1970s.) 

Since Our Lady told St. Bridget of Sweden that…

“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.”

… and since I really, really, really, want to skip Purgatory, I am going to “propagate this devotion” by posting every day from today through next Thursday, the Vigil of the deprecated feast, a short novena to Our Lady of Sorrows. (I only have nine previous posts on the Sorrowful Mother! I’d better get bloggin’!) Each day is based on one of her Sorrows. It’s not much, more like just some things for you to ponder.

Our Lady of Sorrows 1.
Here it goes:

Today: Day 1 (Wednesday)

The Prophecy of Simeon

We first learn of the sorrowful path Our Mother will trod during her life when we read of when she and St. Joseph took the Child Jesus to the Temple for the ritual presentation of the first born. St. Simeon saw the Christ Child and through the Holy Spirit was informed He is the Messiah. Simeon was promised that he would not die until he saw him. He did, and he approached Mary and Joseph and taking the babe in his arms, uttered the “Nunc Dimmittis,” which forms a part of the Church’s Night Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours.

“Now, Master, you may let your servant go in peace, according to your word, for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel.”

Luke 2:29-32 Courtesy: USCCB

Continuing on, St. Simeon tells Mary:

“Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted (and you yourself a sword will pierce) so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:34-35)

The points for you to ponder and meditate of are Mary’s foreknowledge of the suffering she (and Jesus) will endure and how she bore it throughout her life; and how Our Lady accepts this sorrow before it happens. Lent is a very appropriate time to think about these things…

Although the Scripture passages don’t mention this, it is likely that Simeon’s prophecy was among those things Our Lady kept in her heart and pondered during her life. So, this will be a further reminder about the contemplative dimension of Catholic prayer life: there is action (a good, especially the works of mercy) but there also is prayer, another good: that quiet prayer when you dwell within your soul and touch God who dwells there.

At the Cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last:

Through her heart, his sorrow sharing,
All his bitter anguish bearing,
now at length the sword has pass’d.

(Stabat Mater)

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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!!)

“How To Break EVERY Addiction: The Catholic Way” (EDITED)

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I chanced upon a YouTube video (YT suggested it) and was immediately intrigued by the title. “How To Break EVERY Addiction: The Catholic Way.” I do not recall seeing this YouTuber before.

In summary, Riecker suggests that one recite the Seven Sorrows Rosary of Our Lady of Sorrows. Why? Because Our Lady made several promises to those who do so faithfully. One key promise is: “By the recitation of the Seven Sorrows Rosary, you shall be freed from obsessions and addiction.”

Riecker provided a link to where he found these promises: 16 Powerful Graces Our Lady Promises To Those Who Honor Her 7 Sorrows.

I must, however, remind you that this is not a thing you can assume will happen just because you do it. As with every promise, such as the promises of the Sacred Heart for those who do the Nine First Fridays, or the promises given to those who say the rosary daily; the mere act is not in itself a guarantee it will work. You must have the faith in the power of the prayer and apply the devotion to your life (like make it into a spiritual relationship with the object of the devotion) so that it transforms it. I think many people just do the requirements of the devotion and feel “that’s it.” You must do it in such a way that your faith in it plus your desire to grow closer to the object (in this case, Our Lady of Sorrows) helps accomplish the deired result; in this case, freedom from addictions. I may have to watch the video again, but I do not recall Riecker saying anything like that. 

The video is below. I highly recommend the video, even though he deleted my comment on it (probably because I linked to Sober Catholic and The Sober Catholic Way).

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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!!)

The Triumph and the Sorrow

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This weekend was a special one; yesterday was the feast of the Triumph (or Exaltation) of the Cross and today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. 
Both are important inasmuch as the Triumph of the Cross can be compared to our triumph over our addictions. Alcoholism and drug addiction would have been our death, but we survived. Whether it was through a Twelve Step program of we ‘found religion’ or a combination, we triumphed over that which was crucifying us. We nailed or addictions to the Cross and rose again as new people, clean and sober.

Our Lady of Sorrows present another dimension to the suffering: just as Our Lady suffered throughout her life because she knew through the prophecy of Simeon that Jesus was to suffer a death that would pierce her heart and soul, to so did the people in our lives suffer over our addictions and the behaviour we acted out. As Mary stood at the foot of the Cross watching her Son die, so to did many of our loved ones (those that did not abandon us) watch us, often helplessly, as we strode towards death. And they rejoiced as we beat the addiction and rise again.

I found an old post that, like this, was written about these feast days late. From 2009:

Earlier this week (September 14th and 15th) the Church celebrated two feasts which I had written about before in these two posts: Triumph of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows.

I think it is intentional that these 2 feasts are linked by being placed a day apart.

The triumph of Jesus on the Cross was His death. Death is usually a defeat but His liberated us from the prison that was ours. He opened the gates of Heaven for us. Heaven is now attainable, whereas previously it was prohibited to us by the Original Sin of Adam. The Sorrows of Mary were many but in tying these dates together, the Church is perhaps emphasizing Jesus’ suffering, death and burial and how they must have ripped apart the heart of Mary as she witnessed them.

Both Jesus and Mary are marked in their obedience to God the Father’s will. Jesus accepted that His role and mission was to suffer and die for our sins. Mary accepted hers as being the bearer of the Messiah, the Savior of Humanity. Her willing submission to God’s will linked her life to that of Jesus.

So it can be said of us. If we accept that our duty as Christians is to submit ourselves to God’s will in our lives, looking to the Church for guidance, then we open ourselves to the sufferings and sorrows about us. In accepting God’s will for us, it is necessary for us to “die to ourselves” so that the inspirations and beckoning of the Holy Spirit can be felt. We decrease, so it can increase. In so dying, we are reborn into the person God intended for us to be and therefore are able to fulfill His plan for our lives. The sufferings and sorrows we feel are our compassion for others.

As addicts and alcoholics, we are especially attuned to this. Our old selves died when we gave up drinking and using. Our truer selves were resurrected from the Cross we nailed our addictions to. And in our new lives we see others about us differently. We see others and broken and wounded souls, as we are also. Our hearts are pierced by the swords of their pain and suffering. 

As Jesus on the Cross gave Mary to each of us to be our Mother, we, in our recovery, are given to others to nurture and sustain them.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Our Lady of Sorrows: the Alliance of the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary! Part 10

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For this Sacred Heart Friday, I bring up the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It recalls Mary’s seven painful sorrows throughout her life; I believe she often ‘pondered them in her Heart.’ 

  1.  The Prophecy of Simeon  (Luke 2:34)

  2. The Flight into Egypt by the Holy Family (Matthew 2:13)

  3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:43)

  4. Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother along the Way of the Cross (Luke 23:26)

  5. Mary stands at the Foot of the Cross (John 19:25)

  6. Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms (Matthew 27:57)

  7. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb (John 19:40)

Sorrows unite the Two Hearts of Jesus and Mary. The Sorrowful Heart of Mary was pierced in particular by the sufferings of Jesus during His Passion and Death. How could they not? 

Jesus was sorrowful even unto death, yet he endured His Passion for our sake. As I have mentioned in previous posts in this series, several approved private revelations have spoken of the closeness of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary: as she was how Our Lord came into this world, then she certainly would have been attuned to the pains endured by His Heart during the tortures of Good Friday. 

This lends a sublime empathy for Our Lady. She suffered for Him, and since we are the adopted sons and daughters of God the Father, we are siblings to Our Lord; with Mary being our Mother. Therefore, just as Mary was united with Our Lord in His sufferings; she is united to us in ours. Recall all the sufferings you endured (and caused) during your drinking and drugging days. Mary was there. You were not alone. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Three Drops of Blood: The Creation of the Sacred Heart

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On this Sacred Heart Friday, I am relating to you something about the creation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This is appropriate given that as this is posted, it is the Vigil of the Solemnity of the Annunciation.This comes from a private revelation, and thus is not binding on Catholics. However, my personal opinion regarding approved private revelations is that they are not binding on the faithful in much the same way that putting on a parachute is not binding on you when you jump out of a plane. You don’t have to wear one, but it’s a good idea anyway.

It comes from “The Mystical City of God,” by the Venerable Mary de Jesus de Agreda. Mary de Agreda was a Franciscan nun who served as abbess of a cloistered convent in Agreda, Spain, in the 17th Century. She experienced a series of visions during which the Blessed Mother communicated her life to the abbess. It’s the most complete biography of the Virgin Mary ever written and there are quite a lot of deep insights into theology and doctrine, as well as a host of mystical meditations and…. well, words don’t do it justice but the volumes are incredible and worth getting. “The Mystical City of God” comes in four volumes and is 2,700 pages long. Don’t let that intimidate you. If you read a lot, it’s like the equivalent of 8-10 books. You’re gonna read at least that many this year, ain’t you? Well, these are better! You can pace yourself, if needed. Eight pages a day will get you done in one year. One chapter a day (more sensible a task than 8 pages/day) will take you through it in seven months. They are available for sale through various publishers, as well as free PDFs online (the books are public domain.) I’ve read the four volume unabridged edition twice, and am embarking upon a third reread. (There is an abridged version.)

It happens immediately after Mary gave her consent for the Holy Spirit to overshadow her causing the Incarnation. Here is an image of the passage from “The Incarnation,” the volume from which it was taken (the “Incarnation,” the second of the four volumes.)

Three Drops of Blood Passage

Three drops of blood from Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart gathered and deposited in her sacred womb. From this, Jesus drew His genetic material and His Sacred Humanity. 

The issuing of the blood from her heart symbolized her Sorrowful Heart, which was to suffer much as prophesied by Simeon. So, there in a connection between her Sorrowful Heart and His Sacred Heart. This makes sense, given her sorrow was over His passion and death for the love of us that emanated from His Sacred Heart; and our devotion to the Sacred Heart serves as a reparation for sins committed against Him, and, by extension, Our Lady. When we make reparation to the Sacred heart, we are also consoling her.

The Solemnity of the Annunciation can be considered a celebration of the union of the Two Hearts – The Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Lady and the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (There is a devotion to the Two Hearts (as well as prophecies), which I’ll look into and write about later (May/June?)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows

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I said in this post that I’d write on devotions to Our Lady of Sorrows. 

The devotion to the sorrows of Our Lady dates at least from the Middle Ages, if not all the way back to the Early Church. This is likely, given that Mary was around for a few decades after Christ Ascended and taught the apostles and disciples and others much of Jesus’ life and teachings. (From where else did we get information on the Annunciation, Nativity and other details of His life?) The recipients of Our Lady’s teachings must have learned about her sorrows over the crucifixion of her Son, and in sympathy must have kept this in memory and passed it on to future Christians.

In recent years, it has seen an increase due to the approved apparition of Our Lady in Kibeho, Rwanda. During that apparition, Our Lady told the seers to pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows. You can read more about that here.

Tan Books offers a nice little devotional booklet on “Devotion to the Sorrowful Mother.” That introduced me to the devotion twenty years ago. EWTN Religious Catalogue offers the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, (which I say almost every day) as well as the excellent (and in my opinion, the BEST book on Mary after the Mystical City of God, the Glories of Mary, by St. Alphonse’s Liguori. 

The Glories of Mary is five complete books in one volume. The first book examines the words of the Salve Regina and shows how God has given Mary to mankind to be the Gate of Heaven. The second book explains Our Lady’s principal feasts and reveals fresh truths about these mysteries. The third book explains the Seven Sorrows of Mary and why Our Lady’s martyrdom was longer and greater than that of all other martyrs. The fourth book describes ten different virtues of Our Lady, and the fifth book provides dozens of famous prayers, meditations, and devotions to her.

Included are the theological proofs for the Immaculate Conception, explanations of the invocations in the Litany of Loreto, and a description of Our Lady’s death. The Glories of Mary is the greatest compendium of nearly eighteen centuries of teaching on Our Lady and seeks to lead many souls to a greater love of Jesus through a more intimate knowledge of Mary and her exalted role in our salvation.

Source: Tan Books 

Developing a devotion to Our Lady’s Sorrows comforts her. Yes, she is now in Heaven and doesn’t experience sorrow or pain as we know it. But she still recalls her Son’s sufferings and she observes our sufferings here in the vale of tears, our exile. So, in some way unique to Heaven, she still ‘is sorrowful,’ I suppose. Empathizing with her sorrows whilst she was still on Earth only endears you ever more to her Son, if you get my drift. 

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I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Our Lady of Sorrows

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September 15th is the the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. It honors the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which are:

First Sorrow: The Prophecy of Simeon

Our Lady and St. Joseph took the child Jesus as was customary under Mosaic Law after her 40 days of purification were over. They were to offer their first born to God, as was also in accordance with the Law. They really did not need to do this, given Our Lady’s perpetual virginity as was as that Jesus is God; nevertheless they did so out of Holy Obedience. This is an interesting lesson for today’s Christians who feel they can flout religious observance, dogmas, and doctrines.

While there, Simeon, a holy man and prophet was was foretold by the Holy Spirit that he will not die until he saw the Messiah, for witness that Jesus was this Messiah. 

Luke 2:34-35 And Simeon blessed them, and he said to his mother Mary: “Behold, this one has been set for the ruin and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and as a sign which will be contradicted. And a sword will pass through your own soul, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

Second Sorrow: The Flight into Egypt

Joseph is warned in a dream that Jesus’ life is in danger from Herod, who is intent on killing all males under the age of two based upon the testimony of the Magi from the East who were seeking the Messiah of the Jews. Threatened by this, he orders the murder of children in the area the holy Family is residing. Herod is an example of politicians and other elites who champion the cause of the pro-choice movement, i.e. the murder of unborn children through abortion. In many states of the USA this now includes ‘partial birth abortion’ and even the abortion of delivered babies. There’s a word for this: infanticide.

Matthew 2:13-18 And after they had gone away, behold, an Angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: “Rise up, and take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt. And remain there until I tell you. For it will happen that Herod will seek the boy to destroy him.”
And getting up, he took the boy and his mother by night, and withdrew into Egypt.
And he remained there, until the death of Herod, in order to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Out of Egypt, I called my son.”
Then Herod, seeing that he had been fooled by the Magi, was very angry. And so he sent to kill all the boys who were in Bethlehem, and in all its borders, from two years of age and under, according to the time that he had learned by questioning the Magi.
 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying:
“A voice has been heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel crying for her sons. And she was not willing to be consoled, because they were no more.”

Another lesson from thins the plight of refugees and migrants. Today there are tens of millions of people who are displaced from their native lands because of war, poverty and oppression. Often they are unwelcome in the lands they end up in. Rather than ‘extending the table’ or ‘making room for guests,’ people propose to ‘build a wall!’ or otherwise spread hateful, ignorant lies about their character an intentions. But the globalist economic order and rising populist movements victimize and shun them.  The populists in Europe and North America are unfortunately ‘nativist’ in outlook, which is odd given that the migrants and refugees are the victims of the globalist order the populists object to; so these people should be allies.

Third Sorrow: The Loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem

The Holy Family went off to Jerusalem for religious celebrations and on the way back home they lost their son, who happens to be the Second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God the Father, and King of the Universe. I know this was a massive trauma for the Holy Family. You’re the Virgin Mother of God, you love your son more than anything in the universe; private revelations such as The Mystical City of God by the Venerable Mary of Agreda tell us that Mary knew who Jesus was from the moment of the Annunciation; that He had full use of His faculties and powers of reason from His conception; and they were intimately united in thought and feeling from that moment onward. Furthermore, she knew the type of death He was to experience. Her love for Him was so intense that she was literally a lifelong martyr for Him. And she lost this kid. Imagine her thoughts throughout all of this.

Now think of St. Joseph. He also knew who Jesus was. And you’re the guy God the Father picked to be the guardian and protector of the Lady bore His Son, as well as that Son. And you lost this kid.

There have been no parents alive before or since who were as freaked out as Mary and Joseph. You are a parent? You had issues with your children? Dysfunctional? The Holy Family can be your guide. While obviously not dysfunctional in the slightest, nevertheless they knew of the trials of family life., even if it were for just three trauma-filled days. 

Luke 2:41-49  And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the time of the solemnity of Passover.
And when he had become twelve years old, they ascended to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast day.
 And having completed the days, when they returned, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents did not realize this.
But, supposing that he was in the company, they went a day’s journey, seeking him among their relatives and acquaintances.
 And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
 And it happened that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, listening to them and questioning them.
 But all who listened to him were astonished over his prudence and his responses.
 And upon seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: “Son, why have you acted this way toward us? Behold, your father and I were seeking you in sorrow.”
And he said to them: “How is it that you were seeking me? For did you not know that it is necessary for me to be in these things which are of my Father?”

Fourth Sorrow: Jesus Meets His Afflicted Mother on His Way to the Cross

Recall what I had just written about the intimate union Mary and Jesus had. You suffer as He suffers, is happy as He is happy…. And now you see Him, the love of your life carrying a crucifix upon which He will be nailed to for the sins of the World. He is innocent, but is being offered as a propitiatory sacrifice to atone for the sins of others because the magnitude of the crime is so great the guilty cannot possibly pay it. 

You seen Him broken and bloodied, humiliated, with the crowds mindlessly shouting cruel epithets at Him. All these tear at your Immaculate Heart. You want to comfort Him but cannot. Your eyes meet His… you gaze at each other and wordlessly an understanding passes between you and Him. Love. Sympathy. The overwhelming love of a Mother so kind and tender…. And she cannot help Him. Then pagan soldiers whip him onward and insult you…

Fifth Sorrow: Mary Stands at the Foot of the Cross

John 19:25 And standing beside the cross of Jesus were his mother…

… and some time later after you’ve made your way to the place of His execution, a hill called Golgotha (where thousands of years before Abraham was prevented from sacrificing his son Isaac, as a test of his faith) you see Him again, dying. His condition is horrible in the extreme. You kneel before Him and gaze up, tears flood your eyes and cascade down your face. This is empathy at its most intense: the love and sorrow of a mother towards her son as life ebbs from Him.

John 19:26-27 Therefore, when Jesus had seen his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold your son.” Next, he said to the disciple, “Behold your mother.” And from that hour, the disciple accepted her as his own.

This woman is now your Mother. After you were baptized you became His brother or sister; adopted children of God the Father. And therefore at your baptism, when you became a member of the Mystical Body of her Son, Jesus Christ, you became a child of Mary as well. You follow? Jesus is Mary’s Son; after baptism you become a member of His Mystical Body, therefore Mary is your mother, too. Mary is your Mother in a way even more so than your earthly mother is, for the latter only gave birth to your life in this transitory, temporal world. Mary ‘gave birth to you’ in the supernatural life through your baptism.

If you attain Heaven, it’s because of Mary. For since Mary is your Mother, her maternal instincts cover you as well. And she is the best of mothers and wants you in Heaven with her. The saints teach that all graces come to us from God through Mary (with the Church teaching this as well, but stopping short of declaring it a revealed dogma. So far.) So if you know any better, cultivate a relationship with Mary. Ask her in your prayers that her intentions regarding your life and intentions come true. Entrust yourself to her. All good mothers dote on their children. You think Mary would be any less of a doting Mom? Most Earthly mothers boast if their sons and daughters become doctors or lawyers or some such thing. Mary wants you in Heaven, with her, for ever. 

How loving is that?

Sixth Sorrow: The Crucifixion and Mary Receives the Dead Body of Jesus from the Cross

John 19:38 Then, after these things, Joseph from Arimathea, (because he was a disciple of Jesus, but a secret one for fear of the Jews) petitioned Pilate so that he might take away the body of Jesus. And Pilate gave permission. Therefore, he went and took away the body of Jesus.

Jesus is dead. His body is taken down from the cross and placed in Mary’s arms. She looks upon Him who they have killed, his tortured body practically unrecognizable. But she is His Mother, she know this body. The same one she gave birth to 33 years before, the same one she nursed at her breasts, the same one she clothed and fed and loved all these years. 

And now He is gone. Taken so cruelly. And all because of the sins of others, from the beginning to the end of time. Death is the most painful of separations because of its finality. Mary knew her Son would rise again on the third day; He had said so. Nevertheless, the pain of His death and loss was more real to her than for any other. Even knowing He’d return. This gives us some perspective on grief and how sensitive we must be towards ourselves and towards others when death takes someone away. 

Seventh Sorrow: Jesus is Placed in the Tomb

Luke 23:53 …and he placed him in a tomb hewn from rock, in which no one had ever been placed.

And with that, he was taken from sight and buried; now physically separated from Him. It bears repeating that although Mary knew her Son would rise again, the pain of His death and now separation by burial was a grief most intense. This told to us by the writings of countless saints and mystics; which means the original source of this information must have been passed down in part by an oral tradition they picked up as well as through private revelation. Some may feel this is silly, because if she knew He’d be back in a few days, why the grief? To love deeply means to grieve deeply. The greater the love, the greater the sorrow of loss; regardless of how temporary the loss is. That explains it. And that is why Mary is the best of all possible mothers. For she loves you, too, with a love greater than you could know. 

Mary’s love for you and her maternal interest in your salvation, could make up for a multitude of ‘issues’ you have with your own mother, or even the loss of your mother because she died. Mary’s love is eternal; and she desires your happiness with her in Heaven.

This post is long enough! Tomorrow, if I can, I’ll mention the Chaplet of Our Lady of Sorrows. It’s a wonderful devotion, a part of the whole devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows (The Sorrowful Mother devotion, Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady…it has several names, it’s all the same.)

All Scripture quotes courtesy: The Sacred Bible: Catholic Public Domain Version

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Novena of Novenas IX: Our Lady of Sorrows & Saint Archbishop Oscar Romero

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Today begins the Ninth of the Nine Novenas for Justice, Peace, and Creation, and this one is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows & Saint Archbishop Oscar Romero. It runs from August 31 through September 8, 2020.

I will not post this every day as the prayers and intentions are the same for each day. I’ll just leave it here for nine days; if I need to blog in the interim, I will just blog a reminder afterwards. For the background, please read this post (especially if you need to learn about who Bob Waldrop, the creator of this Novena, was, and why I am introducing it to you.) Or go here: A Novena of Novenas for Justice, Peace, & Creation.

Don’t worry if you jump in at some point later in the 81 days. To paraphrase Bob “just pick up whenever you happen to join in.”

AFTER THIS SENTENCE, THE WRITING IS ALL THAT OF BOB WALDROP, not me, Paulcoholic.

…

Our Lady of Sorrows & Saint Archbishop Oscar Romero General Intention: For the creation of new structures within the crumbling ruins of the old.  Spiritual Works of Mercy: Convert the sinner. Instruct the ignorant. Counsel the doubtful. Comfort the sorrowful. bear wrongs patiently. Forgive injuries. Pray for the living and the dead. Act of Caring for Creation: Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, make it over, made do, do without.

God, come to my assistance. Lord, make has to help me.
+ Let us pray together in peace, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, help the helpless, strengthen the fearful, comfort the sorrowful, bring justice to the poor, peace to all nations, and solidarity among all peoples.  Give us strength to stand against the demonic powers which prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.

Open our eyes to see the beauty, joy, redemption, and goodness which comes through obedience to your Son our Lord. Teach us to be a refuge of hope for all who are oppressed by injustice and violence.

Our Lady of Sorrows, most holy and afflicted mother,  of martyrs, you stood beneath the cross and witnessed the agony of your dying Son. In this world of violence, we ask you to pray for those who will die today because of war, economic chaos, injustice, and exploitation, especially the children.

Prepare them for the agony, despair, and terror of the violence that is upon them. Comfort them and hold them close to the bosom of thy Wounded Heart as they drink deeply of the bitter cup which is forced upon them.

Wipe their tears, calm their fears, welcome them to peace and safety. Eternal rest grant to them, and may perpetual light shine upon them. Amen.

Saint Romero, During a time of grave evil, you spoke with courage to rebuke the powerful, pleading with them to cease their violence, and repent of their murders. You called upon the rich to end their greed, to embrace just economic systems, and to relinquish their power. In solidarity you comforted the poor, gave them hope and strength, and witnessed the crimes against them, always speaking truth, justice, mercy, and love.

Teach us to understand our complicity with the sins of empire. Help us end our support for the structures of sin that bring violence and injustice into the world. Be our guide as we build structures of justice, mercy, love, and beauty.

O God, who by the preaching and teaching of Oscar Romero has given us an example of love and fortitude in the face of violence and greed, grant that we who reverence his life and ministry may also imitate his fidelity to truth, justice, and peace. Soon come the promise of Mary, that all tyrants will be cast down, the proud scattered, the lowly exalted, and the hungry filled with good things. through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Novena to St. John Chrysostom on behalf of the Bishops of the United States of America  Most Glorious and Venerable St. John Chrysostom, Grace shining forth from your lips like a beacon has illumined the universe. It shows to the world the treasures of poverty; it reveals to us the heights of humility. Teaching us by your words, O Father John Chrysostom, intercede before the Word, Christ our God, to save our souls! Pray for the bishops of the United States of America, who do not teach or practice the Catholic faith in its fullness, that God will deliver them to orthodoxyand reform their ways of living, so that as exemplars of orthopraxis, they will protect all life, from the moment of conception to the time of natural death. Teach them true solidarity with the poor, so that they understand the consequences of their moral abandonment of entire nations of human beings to a collective fate of cruelty and violence because they were in the way of the American Empire and its gluttonous lust for oil, supremacy, and blood. As you refused to obey the aristocratic commands of your era, help our bishops turn away from the political demands that cause them to preach a false gospel of moral relativism regarding war and peace. Having received divine grace from heaven, with your mouth you teach all people to worship the Triune God. Instruct our bishops with the wisdom of the Gospel, so that they repent of their material cooperation with the objective evil of unjust war, and call all people, in authentic word and deed, to live in solidarity, peace, and justice.

All-blest and venerable St. John Chrysostom, we praise you, for you are our teacher, revealing things divine! Pray for us that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

O God, Who by the preaching and teaching of Saint John Chrysostom has given us an example of fortitude in the face of persecution and political corruption, grant that we who reverence his life and ministry may also imitate his example of fidelity to wisdom, truth, justice, and beauty, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen. Our Father . . . Hail Mary… Glory be. . .

 

Thoughts for the journey.

Traditionally, we recall “seven sorrows of Mary”: the prophecy of Simeon, the flight into Egypt, the three-day separation from Jesus, and four incidents along the Via Dolorosa (Mary meets Jesus on the way to the crucifixion, the crucifixion, the taking down of his body, the burial).  Today, the sorrows multiple beyond our ability to comprehend. The daily news is a litany of horrors. Just when you think you have heard the worst, along comes something even worse.

In the face of the steady onslaught of violence, all of us are at risk of despair.

After the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City in 1995, someone paid for billboards to be put up all around the city, quoting the Apostle Paul’s advice to the Romans:  “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”  That is the plan. It begins with our relationship with Jesus, continues in prayer and bears fruit in the way we live our lives.

With Christ within us, it becomes easier to understand what is important.  So we always must ask — How is my life open to the reality that Christ is alive and he loves me?  Jesus gave his life to save us and our societies from sin and oppression. He was with Oscar Romero as he ministered to his people as they were persecuted and murdered by their own government.  Jesus was with Romero at the moment the bullet tore into his heart even as he elevated the Chalice during the Eucharistic Prayer. Jesus lives today and is at our side every moment of every day to enlighten, strengthen, and free us.  Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, of our journeys of justice and peace.

The Blessed Oscar Romero of El Salvador knew something about hope in the face of horror.  Let us listen to some of his wisdom.

From the words of Romero. . . Those who do not understand transcendence cannot understand us. When we speak of injustice here below and denounce it, they think we are playing politics. It is in the name of God’s just reign that we denounce the injustices of the earth.

Not just purgatory but hell awaits those who could have done good and did not do it. It is the reverse of the Beatitude that the Bible has for those who are saved, for the saints, “who could have done wrong and did not.” Of those who are condemned it will be said: they could have done good and did not. . .

Let us be today’s Christians. Let us not take fright at the boldness of today’s church. With Christ’s light let us illuminate even the most hideous caverns of the human person: torture, jail, plunder, want, chronic illness. The oppressed must be saved, not with a revolutionary salvation in merely human fashion, but with the holy revolution of the Son of Man, who dies on the cross to cleanse God’s image, which is soiled in today’s humanity, a humanity so enslaved, so selfish, so sinful. . .

A religion of Sunday Mass but of unjust weeks does not please the Lord. A religion of much praying but with hypocrisy in the heart is not Christian. A church that sets itself up only to be well off, to have a lot of money and comfort, but that forgets to protest injustices, would not be the true church of our divine
Redeemer. . .

Everyone who struggles for justice, everyone who makes just claims in unjust surroundings, is working for God’s reign, even though not a Christian. The church does not comprise all of God’s reign, God’s reign goes beyond the church’s boundaries. The church values everything that is in tune with its struggle to set up God’s reign. A church that tries only to keep itself pure and uncontaminated would not be a church of God’s service to people. The authentic church is one that does not mind conversing with prostitutes and publicans and sinners, as Christ did — and with Marxists and those of various political movements — in order to bring them salvation’s true message. . . .

Even when all despaired at the hour when Christ was dying on the cross, Mary, serene, awaited the hour of the resurrection. Mary is the symbol of the people who suffer oppression and injustice. Theirs is the calm suffering that awaits the resurrection. It is Christian suffering, the suffering of the church, which does not accept the present injustices but awaits without rancor the moment when the Risen One will return to give us the redemption
we await.

To be a Christian now means to have the courage to preach the true teaching of Christ and not be afraid of it, not be silent out of fear and preach something easy that won’t cause problems. To be a Christian in this hour means to have the courage that the Holy Spirit gives in the sacrament of confirmation, to be valiant soldiers of Christ the King, to make his teaching prevail, to reach hearts and proclaim to them the courage that one must have
to defend God’s law. . .

Everyone can contribute much that is good, and in that way trust is achieved. The common good will not be attained by excluding people. We can’t enrich the common good of our country by driving out those we don’t care for. We have to try to bring out all that is good in each person and try to develop and atmosphere of trust, not with physical force, as though dealing with irrational beings, but with a moral force that draws out the good that is in everyone, especially in concerned young people.

Thus, with all contributing their own interior life, their own responsibility, their own way of being, all can build the beautiful structure of the common good, the good that we construct together and that creates conditions of kindness, of trust, of freedom, of peace.

Then we can, all of us together, build the republic — the res publica, the public concern — what belongs to all of us and what we all have the duty of building. . . .

Let us not be disheartened, even when the horizon of history grows dim and closes in, as though human realities made impossible the accomplishment of God’s plans. God makes use even of human errors, even of human sins, so as to make rise over the darkness what Isaiah spoke of. One day prophets will sing not only the return from Babylon but our full liberation. “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light. They walk in
lands of shadows, but a light has shone forth. . . :

Act of Caring for Creation: Reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, make it over, made do, do without. We should respect the goods of Creation that God gives us so abundantly.  That means that we take care of what we have. The frugality of our grandparents served them well during the Great Depression.  Our profligate attitudes that trifle with the goods of Creation lay the foundation of ecological collapse.  It is far better to learn to live with less, so that there is more for others.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

The September 13, 1917 Marian Apparition at Fatima

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The Marian Apparition at Fatima, Portugal on September 13, 1917 was marked by increased crowds as news of the previous appearances of the Blessed Virgin continued to spread throughout the country.

For this particular one Mary told the seers to prepare for the next one on October 13th, that St. Joseph will also appear with the Christ Child to bless the world; and that Mary herself will appear as Our Lady of Sorrows as well as Our Lady of Carmel.

The seers were instructed to continue to pray the Rosary for the end to the War (World War I was still raging).

She reminded the seers that for the last Apparition for 1917, a miracle will occur that will cause many to believe.

This is also the next-to-last post on the Fatima Apparitions that I will write for 2014; as I have stated previously, I am undertaking a series of posts on the most famous of Our Lady’s apparitions as I feel the Fatima message (of penance, prayer and reparation for sins) is important for Catholics in general, but there are specific aspects of them that are applicable to Catholics suffering from alcoholism and addictions. You can follow them by clicking on the “Categories” menu over on the right, and looking for “Fatima.” Click on that category and all of the posts on Fatima and its message will appear.

And once again, these posts will appear in every month that the Apparition occurred and within a week or so of the date (the 13th of May through September) until the centenary of the Apparitions in 2017. Simple at first, I will gradually delve more into them as time goes on.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)

Triumph and Sorrow

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Earlier this week (September 14th and 15th) the Church celebrated two feasts which I had written about before in these two posts: Triumph of the Cross and Our Lady of Sorrows.

I think it is intentional that these 2 feasts are linked by being placed a day apart.

The triumph of Jesus on the Cross was His death. Death is usually a defeat but His liberated us from the prison that was ours. He opened the gates of Heaven for us. Heaven is now attainable, whereas previously it was prohibited to us by the Original Sin of Adam. ( Genesis 3) The Sorrows of Mary were many but in tying these dates together, the Church is perhaps emphasizing Jesus’ suffering, death and burial and how they must have ripped apart the heart of Mary as she witnessed them.

Both Jesus and Mary are marked in their obedience to God the Father’s will. Jesus accepted that His role and mission was to suffer and die for our sins. Mary accepted hers as being the bearer of the Messiah, the Savior of Humanity. Her willing submission to God’s will linked her life to that of Jesus.

So it can be said of us. If we accept that our duty as Christians is to submit ourselves to God’s will in our lives, looking to the Church for guidance, then we open ourselves to the sufferings and sorrows about us. In accepting God’s will for us, it is necessary for us to “die to ourselves” so that the inspirations and beckoning of the Holy Spirit can be felt. We decrease, so it can increase. In so dying, we are reborn into the person God intended for us to be and therefore are able to fulfill His plan for our lives. The sufferings and sorrows we feel are our compassion for others.

As addicts and alcoholics, we are especially attuned to this. Our old selves died when we gave up drinking and using. Our truer selves were resurrected from the Cross we nailed our addictions to. And in our new lives we see others about us differently. We see others and broken and wounded souls, as we are also. Our hearts are pierced by the swords of their pain and suffering. ( Luke 2: 34-35)

As Jesus on the Cross gave Mary to each of us to be our Mother, we, in our recovery, are given to others to nurture and sustain them. (John 19: 25-27)

(All Scriptural links courtesy USCCB.)

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

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!!)