This devotion began in the thirteenth century, recalling the Sorrows the Virgin Mother of God endured in the suffering and death of her Divine Son. The Seven Sorrows chaplet consists of seven Hail Marys For each of the seven Sorrows. One Our Father is said before each group of seven Hail Marys. On the three beads, three Hail Marys are said at the end of the prayer in honor of the Tears of our Sorrowful Mother. Following are the sorrows to meditate on.
THE FIRST SORROW: The Prophecy
Simeon tells our Sorrowful Mother of the bitter passion and death of Jesus, and that a sword shall pierce her heart too.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE SECOND SORROW: The Flight
Our Sorrowful Mother is forced to flee into Egypt to save her beloved Son from the death decreed by Herod.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE THIRD SORROW: The Loss
Our Sorrowful Mother is separated From Jesus for three long days while He is lost in Jerusalem.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE FOURTH SORROW: The Meeting
Our Sorrowful Mother meets Jesus on the road to Calvary and sees Him fall under the cruel weight of the cross.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE FIFTH SORROW: Jesus Dies
Our Sorrowful Mother watches as Jesus dies on the Cross.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE SIXTH SORROW: Mary Receives Jesus (Pieta)
Our Sorrowful Mother receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THE SEVENTH SORROW: The Burial
Our Sorrowful Mother sees Jesus placed in the tomb.
Our Father, Seven Hail Marys
THREE HAIL MARYS
Three Hail Marys are said in honor of the Tears of our Sorrowful Mother
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be for the intention of the Holy Father
From Johnnette Benkovic’s Graceful Living: Meditations to Help You Grow Closer to God Day by Day
Our Lady of Sorrows
They warned Our Lady for the Child
That was Our Blessed Lord,
And She took Him into the desert wild,
Over the camel’s ford.
And a long song She sang to Him
And a short story told:And She wrapped Him in a woolen cloak
To keep Him from the cold.
But when Our Lord was grown a man
The Rich they dragged Him down,
And they crucified Him in Golgotha,
Out and beyond the Town.They crucified Him on Calvary,
Upon an April day;
And because He had been her little Son
She followed Him all the way.
Our Lady stood beside the Cross,
A little space apart,
And when She heard Our Lord cry out
A sword went through Her Heart.They laid Our Lord in a marble tomb,
— “Our Lord and Our Lady,” Hilaire Belloc
Dead, in a winding sheet.
But Our Lady stands above the world
With the white Moon at Her feet.
Of the seven swords that pierced Our Lady’s heart, how many are represented in this poem? How do her swords relate to the pains of my heart?
Other Saints We Remember Today
- St. Nicomedes (90), Martyr
- St. Catherine of Genoa (1510), Widow
