Throughout the month of May, we will be sharing posts focused on journeying alongside the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Share your experiences in the comments or on social media using #praywithmary.
I find it not too surprising that the meaning of the Hebrew word from which the name Mary is derived, among several meanings, can translate to “bitter sorrow.”
Wait, what? Isn’t Mary an angelic lady dressed in brilliant blue and white who carries the fragrance of roses wherever she goes? How could the Immaculate Queen of Heaven, Mediatrix of Grace, the Blessed Virgin we crown each May, have such a name? You see, dear sister, this truth we must remember: to love is to suffer.
Mary loved the most deeply of us all. Consequently, no exclusively human heart has ever felt such pain.
She bore the shame of unplanned pregnancy. She bore the pain of abject poverty. She bore the terror of being forced to flee all she knew as a refugee. She bore the uncertainty of having a radical son, always in the way of danger during His earthly ministry. She bore the agony of watching her child suffer the unthinkable and die, betrayed by his dearest companions and his worst enemies alike. She bore the temptation to despair when all hope seemed lost.
This incredible woman understands every ache of our hearts not out of sympathy, but out of deep and abiding empathy. Our Mother longs to give us the graces from her spouse the Holy Spirit to overcome the trials we face every day, however insurmountable they may seem to us. The twenty page term paper, the colicky infant, the demanding work schedule, the arid spiritual life – all these struggles and so many more she ardently longs to help us endure.
As the kindest and most compassionate of mothers, she longs to take us, her beloved children, by the hand and guide us as we live each day in the hope of the Resurrection no matter what sorrows attend our way, as she did that mournful Holy Saturday of old.
Oh Mother of us all, friend to outcasts and comforter of sinners, Our Lady of Sorrows, you have wept with us and hurt with us all this time. May we fly to your protection, seek your motherly counsel, and beg your intercession at all times. Pray for us so we might unite our suffering to Your Son’s.
Sarah Christian is a Catholic convert living out her vocation to Love as a college student in the heart of Louisiana. She adores flowers, coffee, and evangelization. This post originally appeared on her blog.
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