September 15, the octave day from the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8), is the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. On this day, we remember the Blessed Virgin Mary as Our Lady of Sorrows, reflecting why and how she suffered, and what her sorrows mean to us and our salvation. It is also important to ponder her suffering in terms of her role as the Mediatrix to Christ. And we do need to remember that our sins today make her continue to suffer and keep her in sorrows, because we continue to crucify her Son, the Christ, every time we sin.
Some Protestant Christians, who reject the Roman
Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
would argue that Mary would not have suffered and experienced sorrows if she
had been sinless, completely free from any trace of the Original Sin, by being
the Immaculate Conception. To them, it makes no sense for someone who is
totally sinless by being conceived immaculately, exempted from any effect of
the Original Sin, would be subject to suffering and pain. But it is rather
based on a myopic interpretation of Genesis 3:16-19, as well as, Romans 5:12
and 6:23. If to follow their “logic”, then, Jesus, who is completely sinless,
for being incarnated in and born of the Immaculate Conception, the Blessed
Virgin Mary, should not suffer and die. But he did suffer greatly and died on
the Cross as the prophesized suffering servant (Isaiah 52:13-53:12), doing
God’s will on him (Matthew 26:42//Mark 14:36//Luke 22:42). Thus, such an
argument against the Immaculate Conception identity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
can be heretical as it also denies the humanity of Christ, whose suffering and
salvation, followed by his resurrection, have opened the path for our salvation
and redemption.
Bl. Pope Pius IX reminds us that God predestined Mary
for His Son to be sent to us, incarnated in the human flesh of Jesus in her
womb, so that she serve as the Theotokos, for our salvation, in making her the
Immaculate Conception (Ineffabilis Deus).
This predestination of Mary is reflected in celebrating her nativity on
September 8 in the optional First Reading of the feast of her Nativity (Romans
8:28-30).
The Blessed Virgin Mary had been predestined to
conceive and give birth to the incarnated Christ the Son of God Almighty, for
being made as the Immaculate Conception, before her Nativity. At the
Annunciation, Mary, being betrothed to Joseph but virgin, was surprised to have
learned of her pregnancy with the Son of God by the power of the Holy Spirit, but
accepted this predestined will of God on her and vowed to serve God as His
handmaid (Luke 1:26-38). And she gave birth to the incarnated Christ in
Bethlehem (Luke 2:7), David’s birth place (Luke 2:4; 1 Samuel 16:1-13), in
fulfilling these words of God, prophesized by Micah:
You,
Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall
come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old,
from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when
she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the
strength of the Lord, in the majestic name of the Lord, his God; and they shall
remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be
peace (Micah 5:1-4a, First Reading of the Nativity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary).
These words of Archangel Gabriel’s to Mary at the
Annunciation echo the above words of God spoken through Micah:
Behold,
you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He
will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will
give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob
forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end
(Luke 1:31-33).
These words of Gabriel to Mary revealed that the Son,
who was conceived in her womb without intercourse, was the prophesized Davidic
Messiah-King, affirming God’s covenant words to David through Nathan.
The Lord will make a house for you: when
your days have been completed and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up
your offspring after you, sprung from your loins, and I will establish his kingdom.
He it is who shall build a house for my name, and I will establish his royal
throne forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me
(2 Samuel 7:11-14; 1 Chronicles 17:10-14; cf. Isaiah 11:1-16)
Mary consented to God’s predestined will on her to
serve as the Theotokos with her fiat
(Luke 1:38). And, she saw her obedience to this will of God on her as a way to
magnify (glorify) God and contribute to God’s salvific scheme to restore Israel
to its lost glory of the time of David (Luke 1:46-55). Mary certainly regarded
this as a great thing done on her by God (Luke 1:49), acknowledging herself as
being blessed to have been chosen by God to be the Immaculate Conception and
the Theotokos (Luke 1:48). However,
her blessedness came with a heavy sevenfold price. And this is what we
commemorate on the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrow, represented with the Seven
Sorrows of Mary.
Upon giving birth to the incarnated Christ, he was
circumcised and given his name, Jesus on the eighth day, according to the Law
(Luke 2:2; Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3). Having completing the postpartum
purification for Mary, according to the Law (Leviticus 12:2-4), she and her
husband, Joseph, brought baby Jesus to the Temple in observance of the Law with
the sacrifice to offer (Luke 2:22-24; Exodus 13:2, 12; Leviticus 12:8). This is
known as the Presentation of the Lord (Luke 2:22-38).
It was during the presentation of baby Jesus in the
Temple, dedicating him to the Lord, Simeon, a devout and righteous man of
Israel with a gift of prophecy, filled with and moved by the Holy Spirit, recognized
baby Jesus as the Messiah, whose coming had been prophesized, and praised God,
holding him (Luke 2:25-28) and said:
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).
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, part of
the Optional Gospel Reading of the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows: Luke
2:33-35 ).
Perhaps, neither Mary nor Joseph had known that her
blessedness as the Theotokos (Luke
1:28, 30, 42, 48) came with the cost of sufferings that result in sorrows,
until Simeon spoke these prophetic words (Luke 2:34-35) in holding baby Jesus.
Mary knew that the Son, whom she had conceived and
gave birth, is the Son of God Almighty, the holy one, to reign the everlasting
Kingdom as the Davidic King, as told by Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1:32-33, 35),
the Lord God, as told by Elizabeth (Luke 1:43). So, she acknowledged that the
Son in her womb has something to do with God’s mercy and mighty deeds in
bringing justice, knowing our inner thoughts, exalting the humble and cast away
the haughty (Luke 1:50-53). But it seems that Mary did not know what the
unfolding consequences of giving birth to her Son, the Son of God, would bring
any further. So, what had been unbeknownst to her about Jesus was foretold by
Simeon.
This righteous prophetic old man, Simeon, first spoke
of the division that Jesus is to bring in order to bring the salvation, sorting
those who believe and are to be saved and those who do not and are not to be
(Luke 2:34; Matthew 10:34-36). Those who are to be saved for their
righteousness will be raised but those who are not will fall to condemnation
(Luke 2:34), for the Son will be the stumbling stone to those refuse to repent
(i.e. 1 Peter 2:6-8; Romans 9:33; cf. Isaiah 8:14; cf. Psalm 118:22; Isaiah
28:16; Acts 4:11).
Furthermore, Simeon reminded that the Son, whom Mary
and Joseph dedicate to God as the firstborn, proves hearts of many and reveals
their innermost thoughts through his actions so that some will repent and
convert to be saved, while hidden evil thoughts of hypocrites’ hearts will be
revealed for judgement (Luke 2:35a), reflecting Psalm 139.
Then, he metaphorically prophesized Mary’s manifold
sufferings into sorrows, saying that Mary’s soul would be pierced by a sword
(Luke 2:35b). Here, “sword” (ῥομφαία/ rhomphaia)
is not a smaller type used by the Romans but rather a large barbaric one used
by the Thracians. This suggests that Mary’s sufferings and sorrows are due to
sins of the world, our sins, which caused her Son’s sufferings and death. As a
matter of fact, she suffered and grieved painfully in response to the
afflictions put on Jesus, her Son, because of sins of the world.
The manifold suffering of Mary, as prophesized by
Simeon, has unfolded, as represented by the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin
Mary:
I. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-35)
II. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-21)
III. Missing of
Jesus for Three Days (Luke 2:41-50)
IV. The Meeting
of Jesus on the Road to Calvary (John 19:17)
V. The Crucifixion of Jesus (John 19:18-30)
VI. Jesus Taken Down from the Cross (John
19:39-40)
VIII. Jesus Laid in the Tomb (John 19:39-42)
In Salvific Doloris, St. John Paul II wrote, in acknowledging Mary’s sufferings and sorrows as her take on Christ’s salvific and redemptive suffering, in light of what she has been predestined for and her Seven Sorrows:
It is especially consoling to note—and
also accurate in accordance with the Gospel and history—that at the side of
Christ, in the first and most exalted place, there is always his Mother through
the exemplary testimony that she bears by her whole life to this particular
Gospel of suffering. In her, the many and intense sufferings were amassed in
such an interconnected way that they were not only a proof of her unshakeable
faith but also a contribution to the redemption of all. In reality, from the
time of her secret conversation with the angel, she began to see in her mission
as a mother her "destiny" to share, in a singular and unrepeatable
way, in the very mission of her Son. And she very soon received a confirmation
of this in the events that accompanied the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, and in
the solemn words of the aged Simeon, when he spoke of a sharp sword that would
pierce her heart. Yet a further confirmation was in the anxieties and
privations of the hurried flight into Egypt, caused by the cruel decision of
Herod.
And again, after the events of her Son's
hidden and public life, events which she must have shared with acute
sensitivity, it was on Calvary that Mary's suffering, beside the suffering of
Jesus, reached an intensity which can hardly be imagined from a human point of
view but which was mysterious and supernaturally fruitful for the redemption of
the world. Her ascent of Calvary and her standing at the foot of the Cross
together with the Beloved Disciple were a special sort of sharing in the
redeeming death of her Son. And the words which she heard from his lips were a
kind of solemn handing-over of this Gospel of suffering so that it could be
proclaimed to the whole community of believers.
As a witness to her Son's Passion by her
presence, and as a sharer in it by her compassion, Mary offered a unique
contribution to the Gospel of suffering, by embodying in anticipation the
expression of Saint Paul which was quoted at the beginning. She truly has a
special title to be able to claim that she "completes in her
flesh"—as already in her heart—"what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions ".
In the light of the unmatchable example of
Christ, reflected with singular clarity in the life of his Mother, the Gospel
of suffering, through the experience and words of the Apostles, becomes an
inexhaustible source for the ever new generations that succeed one another in
the history of the Church. The Gospel of suffering signifies not only the
presence of suffering in the Gospel, as one of the themes of the Good News, but
also the revelation of the salvific power and salvific significance of
suffering in Christ's messianic mission and, subsequently, in the mission and
vocation of the Church.
The Gospel Reading of the Memorial of Our Lady of
Sorrows (John 19:25-27), in which Jesus called Mary to behold him on the Cross
and called dedicated her also as our mother, is a part of the Fifth Sorrow of
the Blessed Virgin Mary (John 19:18-30), among her seven sorrows. As St. John
Paul II reflected above, the Fifth Sorrow of witnessing her Son’s Crucifixion
intensified her suffering. At the same time, it was also when her suffering was
in union with the suffering of her Son, as this salvific and redemptive
suffering manifested God’s love.
Amidst of his intense suffering on the Cross toward
death, Jesus called his mother, amidst of her sharpening sorrow, and offered
her also as our mother. Amidst of his suffering shared with his mother, Blessed
Virgin Mary, we received her as our Mother. So, how do we care for our Mother
in suffering and sorrows?
Here we see Christ’s love for us, offering his mother,
Mary, to us, as ours, as well, as he was about to expire on the Cross. His
suffering mother has also become our suffering mother amidst their shared
suffering on the Cross and at the foot of the Cross. Imagine what it would be like
for Mary to watch her Son agonizing on the Cross to death, hearing his voice,
calling her to behold him as he was expiring, and offering her to us, who
caused him and her to suffer.
The sufferings and sorrows of Mary that we commemorate
on the octave of her Nativity is not one of these biblical facts in the past.
The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows reminds us that she continues to suffer and
grieve, as her Son, Jesus, because of our sins today.
From May 13 to October 13, 1917, Mary made
appellations in Fatima, Portugal, and showed her sorrow over our continuous
sins and called for repentance and conversion. She reminded that the Father in
heaven might not be as patient with us as He used to, if we do not repent,
while her Son, Jesus, has to suffer. Have
we really heeded her message and cared for her suffering and repented?
Then, from 1973 to 1979, Mary appeared in Akita,
Japan, showing her frustration with us, with rather stern tone of voice,
reprimanding us for not having taken her messages in Fatima to our hearts and
repented, as she sure saw our sins continue to unfold with modernism, including
relativism.
On October 13, 1973, with austerity, Our Lady of
Sorrow warned us with these words in Akita, Japan:
As I told you, if men do not repent and
better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all
humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will
never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part
of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful.
The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead.
The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by
My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for
the Pope, the bishops and priests.
The work of the devil will infiltrate even
into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals,
bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and
opposed by their confreres…churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full
of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and
consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.
The demon will be especially implacable
against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is
the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be
no longer pardon for them.
Blessed Virgin Mary has suffered greatly, having her
soul been pierced, by the sword of our sins, which put her Son, Jesus, under
agony and to death on the Cross. And together with her Son, in heaven, she
continues to suffer and in sorrow, as he does, because we have not truly felt
her sufferings and sorrows, which reflect those of Christ, her Son. Let us
recall what she said to St. Brigitte of Sweden:
I gaze upon the children of men to see
whether anyone feels compassion for me, and alas, I see but few! If many forget
me, at least you, my daughter, do not forget me. Consider how much I have
suffered.
Now, do we feel our Mother’s pain and sorrow caused by
our sins, which continue to inflict suffering and pain on our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son whom she conceived and gave birth, the Son of God Almighty? Does
sharing her pain and sorrow prompt us to repent and convert?
No comments:
Post a Comment