The month of August is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows which is celebrated on September 15.
In Holy Mother Church's wisdom, September 14 is the feast of the Exhalation of the Cross. The two fests follow one another to show Our Lady's close relationship between Our Lord's Passion and martyrdom and Our Lady's spiritual martyrdom and sorrows.
Devotion to the Sorrows of Mary began growing in popularity during the middle of the fourteenth century, beginning with the five sorrows of Mary and eventually developing into the seven sorrows of Mary, finally concluding with the current popular version of the seven sorrows devotion developed in 1482 by john de Coudenberghe.
Mary is called Our Lady of Sorrows because she shared such a deeply connected and intimate suffering in Our Lord's Passion that could not be experienced by anyone else.
The Church teaches that suffering and salvation go hand-in-hand. There was never a Saint made that did not experience intense suffering. The key is, those saints joined the sufferings to our Lord's offering them to Him for their special intentions. They never let suffering go to waste!
Why not use this month as a way to not only honor Mary's Sorrows (and through this way, also honor our Lord's sufferings), but to also unite your own daily sorrows with hers, asking the most compassionate Mary for her intercession?
Below, you will find the Seven Sorrows devotion that you may pray and meditate upon with or without the use of the seven sorrows chaplet. If you were a Cross and Shield insider subscriber, you'd get a FREE downloadable PDF version of this beautiful devotion! Missed the email for this month? Then sign up today to receive next month's free devotional download! We don't send out spam and there other benefits like early access to new product releases and more! Just click the subscribe button at the top or bottom of this page! PAX+
Ant. There stood by the cross of Jesus His Mother and His Mother's sister, Mary of Cleophas, and Salome and Mary Magdalen.
V. Woman, behold thy son.
R. Son, behold thy mother.
Let us pray
O God, at whose Passion, according to the prophecy of holy Simeon, a sword of grief pierced the most sweet soul of glorious Mary, virgin and mother, grant in Thy mercy that we who honor the memory of her sorrows may obtain the happy fruit of Thy sufferings. Who livest and reignest, world without end. Amen.
V. Incline unto my aid, O God.
R. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, etc.
1. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate thee, in the grief thy tender heart underwent when the holy old man Simeon prophesied to thee. Dear Mother, through that afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God. Hail Mary, etc.
2. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate those afflictions which thy most sensitive heart endured during the flight into Egypt and the dwelling there. O beloved Mother, by that afflicted heart obtain for me the virtue of liberality, specially toward the poor, and the gift of piety. Hail Mary, et cetera.
3. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that intense distress which thy anxious heart experienced in the loss of thy dearest Jesus. O beloved Mary, by that deeply troubled heart obtained for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge. Hail Mary, etc.
4. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate the consternation which thy maternal heart experienced when thou didst meet Jesus bearing His cross. O beloved Mother, by that deep distress of a tender heart, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude. Hail Mary, etc.
5. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that martyrdom which thy generous heart endured in witnessing the last agony of Jesus. O beloved Mother, by that martyred heart obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel. Hail Mary, etc.
6. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate that wound which thy mournful heart endured from the lance which tore the side of Jesus and wounded His most lovely Heart. O beloved Mother, by thy heart then pierced through, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of understanding. Hail Mary, etc.
7. O most sorrowful Mary, I compassionate thee, for the anguish felt by thy loving heart when Jesus' body was laid in the sepulchere. Dear Mother, by all the bitterness of desolation thou didst then know, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom. Hail Mary, etc.
V. Pray for us, most sorrowful Mother.
R. That we be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray
Grant we beseech thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, that the most blessed Virgin Mary, Thy mother, may intercede for us before the throne of Thy mercy, now, and at the hour of our death; through whose most holy soul in the hour of Thine own Passion the sword of sorrow passed. Through Thee, Jesus Christ, Savior of the world, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost forever and ever. Amen.
Short Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary in Her Desolation
Hail, Mary, full of sorrows, the crucified is with thee; tearful art thou amongst women, and tearful is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of the Crucified, give tears to us, crucifiers of thy Son, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.