The following article is by guest writer Patrick O’Hearn, author of Our Lady of Sorrows: Devotion to Mary’s Seven Sorrows for Children by Sophia Institute Press.
For many Catholics, Lent is the most dreaded Liturgical Season. Our repulsion for Lent stems from many factors. For one, it just seems to never end. And we often dislike our penances, even though we have chosen them. Sadly, we can easily feel inflated with pride when we perform our penances, and then filled with self-love when we fail at them. Let’s face it: we prefer the cute baby Jesus over the crucified Jesus. We prefer Christmas parties with eggnog and chocolates versus soup and sandwiches and the Stations of the Cross. No one loves suffering and penance, even certain saints longed for Lent to be over.
Lent is about coming face-to-face with failure and dying to ourselves, but it is so much more than that. Lent is not about us and what we can do for God. God has no need of us. Lent is about what Christ did for us on the Cross. It is about falling more in love with the God of the Universe who traded a crown of glory for a crown of thorns.
One of the main reasons we fail at Lent and in the spiritual life is because we rely too much on ourselves. In addition to not seeking God’s help, we neglect the one person who knew Jesus the best. The one person who was present at His birth and at His death. The one person who was the most faithful to Christ. The one person who gave her very flesh to Jesus, so that He could give His flesh for us. That one person is the Blessed Mother.
Of all the titles of the Blessed Mother, one stands out during this season of penance and that is Our Lady of Sorrows. Yes, Our Lady of Sorrows is the secret to the best Lent ever. She is the woman of the Cross, the one who stood so firmly when all of her Son’s Apostles and closest friends deserted Him save St. John the Evangelist.
Why is Our Lady of Sorrows so essential to our Lent? First, in her soul, she suffered everything Jesus suffered in His body. And as St. Alphonsus de Liguori once said,
And who can ever explain and comprehend the inward pains of his soul, which a thousand times exceeded his outward pains ? This inward torment was such that in the Garden of Gethsemane it caused a sweat of blood pour forth from all his body, and compelled him to say that this was enough to slay Him: “My soul is sorrowful even unto death.” (Matt. 26:38)
Our Lady of Sorrows was the greatest martyr, the Queen of Martyr. For in her soul, she suffered more than any martyr has or will ever suffer. In her unimaginable pain, she thought only about her Son. She did not flee from the Cross; rather, she literally embraced her Son’s Cross. Just as we meditate on Christ carrying His Cross during the Stations of the Cross, we ought to contemplate Mary at the foot of the Cross with her arm around the Cross, gazing upward to her Son, who was unrecognizable to the world—but not to Mary! His blood saturated Mary’s mantle.
When we experience moments of intense suffering and sorrow, we ought to ask Mary to turn our eyes heavenward to Christ Crucified rather than wallowing in our misery. More than anything, Our Lady teaches us to how to suffer well.
Our Lady of Sorrows also teaches us the gravity of our sins. It can be easy for many of us to frequently partake of the sacrament of Reconciliation and to never experience any true conversion, sadly, even heartfelt sorrow that brings us to our knees. When we ask Our Lady of Sorrows to guide us to know ourselves, she will reveal our hidden vices according to exorcist Fr. Chad Ripperger. Through Mary, we can enter into Lent as co-sharers in redemptive suffering, not bystanders who go through the motions She will teach us true sorrow for our sins and help us obtain the grace to overcome our faults. While she looks at us with eyes of mercy, she also does with eyes of firmness: “My child, please stop crucifying my Son.” More than any other saint, Our Lady of Sorrows accompanies us in our own crosses and opens to us the treasuries of her Son’s pierced Heart.
One of the best ways to enter into Christ’s sufferings and Our Lady’s sorrows is by daily praying seven Hail Marys in honor of Mary’s seven sorrows. Praying seven Hail Marys is one of the greatest, most simple, and yet overlooked devotions in the Church. Many parents can pray this powerful devotion with their children as seen in the latest book Our Lady of Sorrows: Devotion to Mary’s Seven Sorrows for Children by Sophia Press.
Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows are the following:
- The Prophecy of Simeon
- The Flight into Egypt
- The loss of the Child Jesus in the temple
- The meeting of Jesus and Mary on the Way of the Cross
- The Crucifixion
- The Taking down of the body of Jesus from the Cross
- The burial of Jesus
Our Lady promised great graces to various saints like Bridget of Sweden for praying seven Hail Marys in honor of her sorrows. One in particular stands out: “I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.”
Lent ought to be one of the most glorious Liturgical Seasons, not one of dread and complaining. Let us take Our Lady of Sorrows as our spiritual guide, and she will show us how best to suffer, to experience true sorrow for our sins, and to overcome those vices that continue to crucify her Son. Above all, she will teach us how to truly love her Son and to contemplate His suffering through her eyes. Our Lady of Sorrows is the secret to the best Lent ever!
Author Bio – Patrick O’Hearn
Patrick O’Hearn is an author, freelance editor, and literary consultant. He has authored six books, including most recently the Courtship of the Saints: How the Saints Met their Spouses (TAN Books) and co-authored, The Grief of Dads: Support and Hope for Catholic Fathers Navigating Child Loss (Ave Maria Press). His newest book, Our Lady of Sorrows: Devotion to Mary’s Sorrows for Children is available at Sophia Press. You can visit his website at patrickrohearn.com.
