Our Lady of Sorrows

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-5, 6-7, 8abcd

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken, but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread, but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone.

YHVH is Lord of life and death. He brings down to the grave and raises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He brings low and He exalts.

He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour.

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Saturday, 8 June 2024 : 9th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Isaiah 61 : 9-11

Their descendants shall be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a race YHVH has blessed.

I rejoice greatly in YHVH, my soul exults for joy in my God, for He has clothed me in the garments of His salvation, He has covered me with the robe of His righteousness, like a bridegroom wearing a garland, like a bride adorned with jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its growth, and as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord YHVH make justice and praise spring up in the sight of all nations.

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Friday, 15 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which is very much tied with the celebration the day before of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Just as we remember the glory of the Cross of Our Lord and Saviour yesterday, in everything that He had done for our sake, in submitting most humbly to the will of His heavenly Father and bearing His Cross, therefore today we remember the one person who has always remained firm and committed in following her beloved Son, throughout all of His ministry and works, and even to the foot of the Cross, where He hung, suffering and dying for the salvation of the whole world. Mary, the Mother of Sorrows, had endured the worst that a mother would have to do, in seeing, witnessing and experiencing her own Son’s suffering and death.

In the very well-known art work, called the Pieta, crafted and made by the famous Michaelangelo, we see the figure of the sorrowful Mary, Mother of God, holding in her own hands the dead body of her beloved Son, after His mission had been accomplished and completed, as He gave up His Spirit and died on the Cross, to redeem all of mankind, by offering Himself as the perfect and most worthy sacrifice, an offering of His own Most Precious Body and Blood, to be offered and broken on the Altar of the Cross, as the Lamb of God, as well as our Eternal High Priest. Mary watched everything unfolding before her very own eyes, and we can only begin to imagine the kind of sorrow and heartache that she had to experience as she witnessed the sufferings and the trials faced by her Son.

That is why Mary, as Our Lady of Sorrows, has always been so attentive to all of us, having been entrusted with all of us as her own children, and she has become our own Mother, loving and caring for us, even from her heavenly abode. This is what we have heard in our Gospel passage today from the Gospel of St. John, when just before He gave up His Spirit, the Lord Jesus told St. John, His beloved disciple, to take care of His Mother, and then He also told Mary that St. John there was to be like her own son, which was actually a symbolic entrustment of Mary to all of us, represented by St. John, to be our own loving mother. Mary has always therefore loved us all just as how she has loved her Son throughout all of His life in this world.

Why is that, brothers and sisters in Christ? That is because Mary herself had witnessed what any mothers should not have seen and witnessed, seeing her own Son’s death, and not just any death, but death in the most humiliating, painful and terrible way, and all of those things happened because her Son willingly took upon Himself all the punishments and consequences that were meant for us, to save us all from the sins and wickedness that we have committed, that we do not end up in eternal damnation in hell, by our disobedience, sins and evils. Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour, have shown us all the perfect example of obedience, as we heard in our first reading today, from the Epistle to the Hebrews, that He would become for us, the Source of eternal salvation and life.

Each and every one of us, the children of mankind, have been subjected to sin and death by our disobedience against God, through our refusal to obey God, His Law and commandments. And if not for the enduring and persistent love which God has always shown us, we would have been condemned to an eternity of sufferings and pain, an eternal death in hell, in which we are forever separated from God and His love. But that is not what the Lord wanted to happen to us, because He Who had created us with love, and out of love, wants us to be reconciled with Him once again, and to experience the power of His mercy and forgiveness. Otherwise, if He had not done so, and if He has not intervened through His Son, Our Lord and Saviour we would have been cast out into the eternal darkness and hell, to suffer the whole consequences of our sins and evils.

Thus, Mary, who has experienced the sufferings and struggles that her Son had to endure in saving us from the depth of our wickedness and sins, certainly does not want any of us to suffer the destruction that we have been going towards, especially because her Son had suffered so that we may have new life and hope through Him. That is why Mary kept on interceding for us, guiding and helping us on our way, as she does not want us, her beloved children, to be lost to her, and she still wants us to be reunited with her and her Son, Our Lord and Saviour. That is why, Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, had made so many apparitions, appearances meant to help remind us mankind to turn away from our sins and wickedness, a common theme of her apparitions, and that we should embrace the Lord and His merciful love once again.

That is why, the phrase of ‘to Jesus through Mary’ is indeed very popular and appropriate, reminding us how Mary is indeed the very sure path for us to follow in our desire to seek the Lord and the redemption in Him. Her great faith and dedication to God, her commitment to the mission and the path that has been entrusted to her are great examples for all of us to follow in our own lives, so that in everything that we do and say, in our every actions and interactions in life, we will always glorify God, and that we will always be obedient to Him and His Law, His commandments and path, in doing what He has called and entrusted to us to do. Let us all no longer be subjected to the tyranny and dominion of sin, evil and death, after everything that the Lord had done for us.

Let us all remind ourselves and one another of the great and ever enduring love which God has for us, and how His blessed Mother, Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, who is also our loving mother, have always loved us and watched over us. Let us all appreciate just how fortunate we are to have been beloved in such a manner, and we should always ever be thankful for all the blessings and love, the grace that we have received from God and His most generous mercy. May the Lord, and His blessed mother, Our Lady of Sorrows, continue to help us in our journey of faith towards the Throne of God’s love and mercy. May God bless us all in our every good efforts and endeavours, now and always. Amen.

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Friday, 15 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 19 : 25-27

At that time, near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw the mother, and the disciple whom He loved, He said to the mother, “Woman, this is your son.”

Then He said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.

Alternative reading

Luke 2 : 33-35

At that time, the father and mother of Jesus wondered at what was said about the Child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His mother, “Know this : your Son is a Sign; a Sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a Sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

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Friday, 15 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 30 : 2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 15-16, 20

In You, o YHVH, I take refuge, may I never be disgraced; deliver me in Your justice. Give heed to my plea, and make haste to rescue me.

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Free me from the snare that they have set for me. Indeed You are my Protector. Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o YHVH, faithful God.

But I put my trust in You, o YHVH, I said : “You are my God.” My days are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin.

How great is the goodness which You have stored for those who fear You, which You show, for all to see, to those who take refuge in You!

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Friday, 15 September 2023 : 23rd Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 5 : 7-9

Christ, in the days of His mortal life, offered His sacrifice with tears and cries. He prayed to Him, Who could save Him from death, and He was heard, because of His humble submission. Although He was Son, He learnt, through suffering, what obedience was, and, once made perfect, He became the Source of eternal salvation, for those who obey Him.

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Thursday, 15 September 2022 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today as we gather to reflect on the words of the Lord in the Scriptures we just heard, we remember that this day we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, remembering the great sorrow that Mary, the Mother of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, had experienced and suffered from, having witnessed everything that her Son had to suffer during His ministry, and then having to see her own Son being persecuted and tortured, betrayed by His own disciple, abandoned by others and condemned to die a most painful and humiliating death on the Cross for sins and faults that He Himself had not committed, and framed for crimes that He was not responsible for.

As with any mothers, seeing her own Son to suffer in such a manner must have been so difficult for Mary. Yet, she persevered through it all, and as sorrowful and painful it must have been for her, she remained true to her commitment to the mission entrusted to her, as the Mother of God, the Mother of the Saviour, to Whom she has dedicated much of her life to, in caring for Him since before He was even born into this world, and right up through most of His life, and unto the very foot of the Cross, where she witnessed her Son dying both as the Paschal Lamb of Sacrifice and the High Priest of all mankind, offering Himself for the salvation of all the whole world.

Mary had received premonition and warning for all these from Simeon the old prophet and servant of God who was awaiting the Messiah or Saviour of the world at the Temple of Jerusalem just as we heard in our Gospel passage today. Simeon told her how Mary would have to see her Son as a Sign for all the nations and how she would have to witness and experience great moments of pain, suffering and anguish, which he described as likened to a sword piercing her very own heart, the most loving and Immaculate Heart of Mary, the Mother of God. All those eventually came true and we knew the image of the grieving Mary, who grieved over the death of her Son.

That is why Mary has always been so attentive to us throughout history, as she continued to reach out to us, appearing in many occasions to different people, encouraging the people of God to be faithful to Him and to return to Him with regret and the desire to be forgiven from their many sins. That is because just as she has experienced losing her Son to suffering and death, and knowing that He had suffered and died for all of our sake, for our redemption and salvation, surely she did not want the sacrifice made by her Son to be wasted by us, as many of us still ignore Him and refuse to follow Him and His truth, and fail to recognise His love.

Not only that, but Mary herself has also been entrusted to each one of us as our own loving mother, as the Lord Himself as we heard in our Gospel passage today, entrusted Mary to St. John the Apostle, His beloved disciple to be his own mother, and he as the son entrusted to Mary. This is a symbolic act by which the Church and the Lord has extended the loving hands of Mary, her love and compassion, her motherly care and her attention to us, her beloved children, to each one of us as her own adopted and equally beloved precious children. We are all so fortunate that our mother even in her sorrow continues to show us her love, through which she has always hoped that we may find the salvation in her Son.

Now, brothers and sisters in Christ, what has always brought sorrow to our loving Mother’s heart is our constant disobedience and refusal to listen to the words that her Son has always spoken to us. All of us have received His truth and love, His instructions, will, Law and commandments, His teachings and ways through the Church and the Scriptures, but we often still preferred to follow our own paths in life, and those paths more often than not led us down the path of sin and ruin. Many of us have fallen on the wayside in our path towards God and His salvation, tempted and swayed by the many efforts of the devil and his allies in their works to prevent us from being reunited and reconciled with God.

That is why today, as we commemorate this Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, let us all reflect first of all on everything that the Lord, our God and Saviour had done for our sake, in His ever enduring and wonderful love, in reaching out to us with love and in sacrificing Himself for our sake so that through Him we may have life and not perish. Then we also should remember the love that His mother Mary has shown us all, and how we have been entrusted to her as her own adopted children. She has always prayed and interceded for our sake, and wanted the best for us, ever reminding us to turn towards her Son and to be righteous and good at all times.

Let us all therefore ask our beloved Mother Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, to continue to love us patiently and to not be sorrowful anymore, by our commitment and desire to repent from our sins and by our efforts to live our lives with faith from now on, making good use of all the opportunities given to us, in each and every moments to be exemplary in life and to inspire one another to follow the Lord and to be ever faithful always. May God be with us always and may His blessed Mother, Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows, our Mother, pray for us always. Amen.

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Thursday, 15 September 2022 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 19 : 25-27

At that time, near the cross of Jesus stood His mother, His mother’s sister Mary, who was the wife of Cleophas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw the mother, and the disciple whom He loved, He said to the mother, “Woman, this is your son.”

Then He said to the disciple, “This is your mother.” And from that moment the disciple took her to his own home.

Alternative reading

Luke 2 : 33-35

At that time, the father and mother of Jesus wondered at what was said about the Child. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, His mother, “Know this : your Son is a Sign; a Sign established for the falling and rising of many in Israel, a Sign of contradiction; and a sword will pierce your own soul, so that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.”

by

Thursday, 15 September 2022 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 30 : 2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 15-16, 20

In You, o YHVH, I take refuge, may I never be disgraced; deliver me in Your justice. Give heed to my plea, and make haste to rescue me.

Be a Rock of refuge for me, a Fortress for my safety. For You are my Rock and my Stronghold, lead me for Your Name’s sake.

Free me from the snare that they have set for me. Indeed You are my Protector. Into Your hands I commend my spirit; You have redeemed me, o YHVH, faithful God.

But I put my trust in You, o YHVH, I said : “You are my God.” My days are in Your hand. Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, from those after my skin.

How great is the goodness which You have stored for those who fear You, which You show, for all to see, to those who take refuge in You!

by

Thursday, 15 September 2022 : 24th Week of Ordinary Time, Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Hebrews 5 : 7-9

Christ, in the days of His mortal life, offered His sacrifice with tears and cries. He prayed to Him, Who could save Him from death, and He was heard, because of His humble submission. Although He was Son, He learnt, through suffering, what obedience was, and, once made perfect, He became the Source of eternal salvation, for those who obey Him.