Passion Week - Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

 

 

Before Holy Week begins, the Church in various countries honor the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

For many centuries, the Roman Rite commemorated a special observance of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Friday of “Passion Week.” This was traditionally the Friday before Holy Week and acted as a preview of what was to come.

The commemoration no longer exists in the current Roman Missal, but it still provides an alternative prayer for that day (Friday in the Fifth Week of Lent), remembering Mary’s own bitter passion.

O God, who in this season
give your Church the grace
to imitate devoutly the Blessed Virgin Mary
in contemplating the Passion of Christ,
grant, we pray, through her intercession,
that we may cling more firmly each day
to your Only Begotten Son
and come at last to the fullness of his grace.

Outside of this nod to the older tradition, various cultures and countries still observe this day with great festivity.

Spanish-speaking countries in particular, as well as the Philippines, hold processions on this day, honoring the Seven Sorrows of Mary.

While it is no longer an official commemoration of the Church (though it is still observed in the 1962 Missal and in the Anglican Use), the traditions of local people continue to maintain it.

 

How to pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

This ancient spiritual practice helps us enter into the heart of Our Blessed Mother as we recall her sufferings

 

“As Christ was the ‘man of sorrows’ (Is 53, 3) through whom it pleased God to have ‘reconciled all things through him and for him, everything in heaven and everything on earth, when he made peace by his death on the cross’ (Col 1, 20), so too, Mary is ‘the woman of sorrows’ whom God associated with his Son as mother and participant in his Passion (socia passionis).” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy)

Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows is very ancient and over time pious customs have been developed to enter into the heart of Mary that was pierced so“thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:35). One such custom owes its origin to the Servite Order founded by a group called the Seven Holy Founders in 1233. From the very beginning they sought to live a life dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows.

Through their spirituality they developed what has been called the “Servite Rosary,” also known as the “Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary.” It recalls seven events in the life of Mary when she experienced great sorrow. They are as follows:

1. The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34–35)
2. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem (Luke 2:43–45)
4. The Meeting of Mary and Jesus on his Way to Calvary (traditional)
5. Standing at the Foot of the Cross (John 19:25)
6. Jesus Being Taken Down from the Cross (Matthew 27:57–59)
7. The Burial of Jesus (John 19:40–42)

How to Pray the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary

To pray this chaplet in memory of Our Lady’s Seven Sorrows, the custom is to pray the Our Father once and then the Hail Mary seven times at each division. At the very end, three Hail Marys should be prayed in honor of Our Lady’s tears.

It is suggested when praying the chaplet to say an Act of Contrition at the very beginning, recognizing the role our sins had in Our Lady’s sufferings.

One method that helps facilitate the meditation on Mary’s sorrows is to announce each sorrow before praying the seven Hail Marys. Here is the text given by the Church in the 1910 version of the Raccolta:

With this confidence in my heart, I meditate on the First Sorrow, when Mary, Virgin Mother of my GOD, presented JESUS her only Son in the Temple, laid Him in the arms of holy and aged Simeon, and heard his prophetic word, “The sword of grief shall pierce thy soul,” foretelling thereby the Passion and Death of her Son JESUS.

The Second Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin was when she was obliged to fly into Egypt by reason of the persecution of cruel Herod, who impiously sought to slay her well beloved Son.

The Third Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin was when, after having gone up to Jerusalem at the Paschal Feast with Joseph her spouse and JESUS her beloved Son, she lost Him on the way back to her poor house, and for three days bewailed the loss of her only Love.

The Fourth Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin was when she met her dear Son JESUS carrying to Mount Calvary on his tender shoulders the heavy Cross whereon He was to be crucified for our salvation.

The Fifth Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin was when she saw her Son JESUS raised upon the hard tree of the Cross, and blood flowing from every part of his sacred Body, and then beheld Him die after three hours agony.

The Sixth Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin was when she saw the lance pierce the sacred Side of JESUS, her beloved Son, the nails withdrawn, and his holy Body laid in her purest bosom.

The Seventh and last Sorrow of the Blessed Virgin, Queen and Advocate of us, her servants, miserable sinners, was when she saw the Holy Body of her Son buried in the grave.

V/. Pray for us, Virgin most sorrowful.

R/. That we may 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, whose most holy soul was transfixed with the sword of sorrow in the hour of thine own Passion. Through Thee, JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR of the world, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever. Amen. 

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows is a beautiful tradition in the Church and allows a soul to walk the via matris, following Mary who kept all of these sorrows in her heart.

The Seven Sorrows of Mary Chaplet

 

The Blessed Virgin Mary grants seven graces to the souls who honor her daily by saying seven Hail Mary’s and meditating on her tears and dolors (sorrows). The devotion was passed on by St. Bridget.

HERE ARE THE SEVEN GRACES:

I will grant peace to their families.
· They will be enlightened about the divine mysteries.
· I will console them in their pains and I will accompany them in their work.
· I will give them as much as they ask for as long as it does not oppose the adorable will of my divine Son or the sanctification of their souls.
· I will defend them in their spiritual battles with the infernal enemy and I will protect them at every instant of their lives.
· I will visibly help them at the moment of their death, they will see the face of their Mother.

FIRST PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:
V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

1. I grieve for you, O Mary, most sorrowful, in the affliction of your tender heart at the prophecy of the holy and aged Simeon. Dear Mother, by your heart so afflicted, obtain for me the virtue of humility and the gift of the holy fear of God.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE SECOND PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

2. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the anguish of your most affectionate heart during the flight into Egypt and your sojourn there.
Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of generosity, especially toward the poor, and the gift of piety.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE THIRD PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

3. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in those anxieties which tried your troubled heart at the lost of your dear Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart so full of anguish, obtain for me the virtue of chastity and the gift of knowledge.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE FOURTH PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

4. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the consternation of your heart at meeting Jesus as He carried His cross. Dear Mother, by your heart so troubled, obtain for me the virtue of patience and the gift of fortitude.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE FIFTH PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

5. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the martyrdom which your generous heart endured in standing near Jesus in His agony. Dear Mother, by your afflicted heart, obtain for me the virtue of temperance and the gift of counsel.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE SIXTH PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

6. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, in the wounding of your compassionate heart, when the side of Jesus was struck by the lance before His Body was removed from the cross. Dear Mother, by your heart thus transfixed, obtain for me the virtue of fraternal charity and the gift of
understanding.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

THE SEVENTH PRAYER OF THE CHAPLET:

V: O God, come to my assistance;
R: O Lord, make haste to help me
V: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
R: As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

7. I grieve for you, O Mary most sorrowful, for the pangs that wrenched your most loving heart at the burial of Jesus. Dear Mother, by your heart sunk in the bitterness of desolation, obtain for me the virtue of diligence and the gift of wisdom.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now, and at the hour of our death. Amen.

STABAT MATER

 

Is there any grief like a mother’s when she loses her child? Stabat Mater, a Latin hymn that can also be recited in prayer, immerses us in the Blessed Mother’s intense sorrow at seeing her beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, dying on the cross in His Passion so that we might have Eternal Life! Its title comes from its first line in Latin “Stabat Mater dolorosa” (roughly translated “the sorrowful mother stood”).

A Franciscan friar named Jacopone da Todi is said to have written the original text of the Stabat Mater in the 13th century, although some scholars have attributed it to Pope Innocent III, among others.

There are over 60 English translations of the Stabat Mater, including this one printed below. It has been so popular that numerous composers including Bach, Vivaldi, Haydn, Schubert, and Verdi have set the original Latin text to music.

The Stabat Mater was used frequently in the Liturgy for centuries before it became a sequence (a hymn spoken or sung before the Gospel) in 1727 for the feast of the Seven Sorrows [or Dolors] of the Blessed Virgin Mary on September 15th. Its use as a sequence is optional now on that feast day (now called the feast for Our Lady of Sorrows), but the hymn is often prayed with the Stations of the Cross at Lent.

At the cross her station keeping, 
Stood the mournful Mother weeping,
Close to Jesus to the last. 

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing, 
All His bitter anguish bearing, 
Now at length the sword had passed. 

Oh, how sad and sore distressed 
Was that Mother highly blest, 
Of the sole begotten One! 

Christ above in torment hangs. 
She beneath beholds the pangs 
Of her dying glorious Son. 

Is there one who would not weep,
Whelmed in miseries so deep, 
Christ's dear Mother to behold? 

Can the human heart refrain 
From partaking in her pain, 
In that Mother's pain untold? 

Bruised, derided, cursed, defiled, 
She beheld her tender Child,
All with bloody scourges rent. 

For the sins of His own nation, 
Saw Him hang in desolation 
Till His spirit forth He sent. 

O thou Mother: fount of love! 
Touch my spirit from above, 
Make my heart with thine accord. 

Make me feel as thou hast felt; 
Make my soul to glow and melt
With the love of Christ my Lord.

Holy Mother, pierce me through; 
In my heart each wound renew 
Of my Savior crucified. 

Let me share with thee His pain, 
Who for all my sins was slain, 
Who for me in torment died. 

Let me mingle tears with thee, 
Mourning Him who mourned for me, 
All the days that I may live. 

By the Cross with thee to stay; 
There with thee to weep and pray, 
Is all I ask of thee to give. 

Virgin of all virgins best, 
Listen to my fond request:
Let me share thy grief divine.

Let me to my latest breath, 
In my body bear the death 
Of that dying Son of thine. 

Wounded with His every wound, 
Steep my soul till it hath swooned 
In His very blood away.

Be to me, O Virgin, nigh, 
Lest in flames I burn and die,
In His awful Judgment day. 

Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, 
Be Thy Mother my defense, 
Be Thy Cross my victory.

While my body here decays, 
May my soul Thy goodness praise, 
Safe in Paradise with Thee. Amen.

 

The Stabat Mater brings to mind front and center just how fully our Blessed Mother suffered along with Jesus, like Him on our behalf! St. Alphonsus Liguori once wrote, that “two hung upon one cross.”

While she wasn’t crucified, of course, her heartbreak was just as intense! After all, as we read in the seventh stanza of the twenty that comprise the Stabat Mater she saw her beloved Son “bruised, derided, cursed, defiled…all with bloody scourges rent.”

Imagine seeing a loved one, a very special loved one, in fact, undergoing such physical and emotional agony. Now add to that the thought that you can’t do anything to help that person, who’s suffering all the more to see your anguish!

Is it any wonder that we have devotions and prayers to our Blessed Mother as Our Lady of Sorrows? St. Bonaventure wrote of Mary’s sorrow at her Son’s death that “no grief was more bitter than hers, because no son was as dear as her Son.”

From what tradition tells us, the Blessed Mother had a strong sense of what was coming way before Christ’s Passion. When she presented her little baby Jesus in the Temple, fulfilling Mosaic law, a “just and devout” (Lk 2:25) man named Simeon, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, foretold both our Lord’s greatness, saying he would be “a light of revelation to the Gentiles and a glory for thy people, Israel,” and His Passion, calling Him “a sign that shall be contradicted” (Lk 2:32 and 34).

He told Mary that she would suffer along with her Son as well, saying that “thy own soul a sword shall pierce” (Lk 2:35). Her wounds would be figurative but just as painful! St. Bernard once noted that “Love inflicted on the heart of Mary the tortures caused by nails in the body of Jesus.”

Why then did Mary go through all of this? For God’s plan for our salvation, through the death and resurrection of His Son. And why indeed did Christ endure this excruciatingly painful and humiliating death? Out of His immense love for us and for you, for “the forgiveness of sins.”

For her part, the Blessed Mother loved her Divine Son so fully and deeply that His suffering became hers, again for our sake! And no doubt Mary, like our Lord, felt a special anguish for those souls who would be lost in lives of unrepentant mortal sins in spite of His Passion.

The image of Mary’s holding her Son’s lifeless body in her arms has resonated in artwork throughout the centuries, such as in Michelangelo’s famous statue Pieta above. 

It is the heartbreaking counterpart to those joyful paintings of Mary we see, especially at Christmastime, holding her newborn Son in her arms. She was there for Him in any case, no matter what the circumstances.

In reflecting on Christ’s Passion in such an intimate way in the Stabat Mater, as with the Stations of the Cross, our hearts should be filled with gratitude as well as sorrow for His sacrifice for us, so that we can love Him as he loved us, and show others that love by how we treat them.

In the Stabat Mater we ask Mary for the grace to share the depth of her love for her Son (as in stanza 10, addressed to her, which reads “make me feel as thou hast felt; make my soul to glow and melt, with the love of Christ my Lord”).

We also ask to grieve with her in our hearts at the foot of the cross (as in the Stabat Mater’s stanza 12, which reads, “Let me share with thee His pain, who for all my sins was slain”) while we offer up our own troubles for our redemption, with deep contrition for our sins.

As St. Paul said, “we know that our old self was crucified with Him…that we might no longer be in slavery to sin,” (Rom 6:6) that is, to our old sinful ways. We are still sinners, but with God’s help, through prayer and the sacraments, especially the sacrament of Reconciliation (otherwise known as confession), we can share in His triumph over sin and death!

As we persevere in our daily lives trying to discern and follow His will, we can pray to Him, as we read in Stanza 19 of the Stabat Mater, “Be Thy cross My victory.”

When the Blessed Mother experienced, along with her Son, such an intense, bitter martyrdom of love that awful day at Calvary, could anyone present there have imagined that anything good would come out of it? Yet something quite wonderful did occur! Christ, in His death and resurrection, paved the road for our salvation and “life everlasting” with Him in Heaven.

When we offer up our sorrows to Jesus on the Cross, bearing our own cross with patience, and truly seek to follow in His footsteps in our daily lives, we say to both Him and His Blessed Mother, “your efforts on my behalf weren’t in vain!”

We must stay close to Jesus and Mary so that we may one day share Eternal Life with them. In the Hail Mary we ask the Blessed Mother to “pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death, amen.”

Similarly, in the Stabat Mater’s stanzas 18-19, we implore her to assist us at that crucial moment when we stand before her Son, when we’ve passed from this life (as in Stanza 19 which reads “Christ, when Thou shalt call me hence, Be Thy Mother my defense”). Then Jesus will see how well we lived by how much we loved, not by the size of our house or of our bank account.

Keep in mind, though that the Blessed Mother is more than ready to help us follow her Son with the graces we need throughout our lives, not just at our judgment. Praying to Mary and asking for her assistance has never been meant to put her ahead of her Son or to partake in some sort of idol worship when we look at her image in a statue, as some might fear. We pray to Mary and through Mary to Jesus!

If we could speak to her face to face about her Son, she would no doubt instruct us to “Do whatever He tells you” (John 2:5), as she told the servers at the wedding feast at Cana before His first miracle.

Jesus might have had an easier time changing water into wine there than in changing some of our more hardened hearts, but his mother can always help us to “be made worthy of the promises of Christ” if we’re sincere in our request for her aid.

Remember, in sharing with Mary her Son’s anguish, as mentioned earlier, we might then be able to share in His triumph over sin and death as well! As we read in the Stabat Mater’s 20th Stanza “while my body here decays, may my soul thy goodness praise, Safe in paradise with Thee. Amen.” Amen, indeed!

 

Pergolesi: Stabat Mater (complete performance); Voices of Music, original version, Labelle & Bragle